Baxter to Accept Garbage Cans, Truck Bids

Baxter will begin accepting sealed bids in the coming weeks for a garbage truck and citywide garbage cans.

Mayor John Martin said the council wants to eliminate the certain costs to the city.

Baxter will accept sealed bids for a new garbage truck and trash cans.

“It’s pretty bad when you have a municipality and all your garbage is thrown out on the street in bags. We just want to clean all that up,” Martin said. “But the main thing, as far as the garbage truck, we are looking at getting people off the back of a garbage truck. It will save money as far as the workman’s comp. It will save possibly a life. ”

The current truck needs two garbage men on the back to load the trash. Martin said the new truck would alleviate some health problems in the workers.

Martin said citywide garbage cans can clean the town appearance as well.

“We have got a lot of developing we are hoping that is going to happen in Baxter,” Martin said. “And different people come through and see garbage bags and everything thrown out on the street. It doesn’t look good.”

Martin said the need for an improved garbage system comes from the increasing amount of new subdivision and apartment projects.

“And we are going to have different subdivisions coming in and I know once people build a 250 or 300 thousand dollar house, they don’t want to have to throw a garbage bag out the front yard,” Martin said. “So we are going to with the system that has a sidearm, like Cookeville has, and pick the garbage up and dump it in the truck.”

Baxter plans to keep the old garbage truck after a newer model is purchased.

The Baxter City Council approved the solicitation of bids during the Thursday meeting.