NEW ORLEANS — Trash across New Orleans— with the exception of the French Quarter and the Central Business District — will be picked up once a week, New Orleans officials announced Saturday morning.
According to officials, the move will bring consistent trash services to residents in Service Area 1 & 2, which is the entire city excluding the French Quarter & the CBD.
"The sanitation fee will be suspended for the month of November and reflected as a credit on Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans bill," officials said.
New Orleans Director of Sanitation Matt Torri said progress in the trash pickup front is ongoing, but predictable trash pickups are important for residents.
“Our emergency solid waste collection contracts are progressing well, but our team continues to focus on other complementary solutions,” Torri said. “We are collectively beginning to see the progress on the ground, but it’s time to bring some predictability so that our residents can better prepare for their trash collection. We are confident that this temporary move will help to get us back on track and result in the same amount of trash being picked up once each week.”
Contractors will pick up trash in the issued 95-gallon can, the recycling can (filled with trash), personal trash cans, and up to six trash bags in addition to the eligible bulky waste items each week.
For Service Area 1— Algiers and parts of the city west of Esplanade Avenue and south of City Park Avenue — city officials will keep looking at progress in trash pickups to see if a return to two pickups a week is possible in the near future.
For Service Area 2— New Orleans East and parts of the city north of City Park Avenue and east of Esplanade Avenue — City Hall is planning to begin the process of getting another contractor in the next two to three months. Until then residents won't hear about a second weekly trash pickup.
"Once the contract has been awarded, information about the frequency of collections will be shared," City Hall's statement said Saturday. "Storm debris (vegetative, construction, white goods, electronics) will continue to be collected separately by the City's Emergency Debris Contractor."
A pickup schedule will available online beginning Sunday at https://nola.gov/sanitation/schedules.