Residents express frustration over alterations to trash collection in the historic community located south of Baton Rouge.

A messy debate recently emerged in Donaldsonville, as residents and officials accused their trash hauler of bad service after a recent change to its fleet and possibly operating in violation of its contract with the city.

In early November, Republic Services, the nation's second-largest waste disposal firm, announced that trash collection would transition to an automated side-load truck equipped with a mechanical arm, effective immediately.

In the letter, the company stated that the new system "is highly regarded as the optimal approach for collecting residential waste."

In the past, employees would travel alongside the truck, tossing residents' garbage bags into it. Now, the operation has shifted to a model where the vehicle is manned solely by a driver and equipped with a mechanical arm for collecting waste.

However, concerns regarding that transition were raised during Tuesday's city council meeting, where Mayor Leroy Sullivan stated that the company is contractually required to address any spills it creates or remove deceased animals from the roadway.

Resident Tramayne Lightfoot expressed that she had witnessed the garbage truck break down multiple times and voiced her concerns regarding the service quality.

“If you have two trash bins outside, you’re done for. They’ll take one and leave the other behind,” she remarked. “It’s absurd. It’s an eyesore.”

Melissa Quillard, a spokesperson for Republic Services, mentioned in an email that there were some delays in pickups due to the holiday season.

“Quillard stated, ‘We appreciate our collaboration with the City of Donaldsonville and are dedicated to delivering top-notch service to all residents throughout the city. Our team is putting in considerable effort to address the backlog in bulk trash collection caused b