CDN-NDG ready to ditch company after it fails to pick up piles of recycling

Cte-des-NeigesNotre-Dame-de-Grcehas repeatedly fined its recycling contractor for pick-up delays in recent weeks to no avail, says borough Mayor Sue Montgomery.

The next stepis to break ties withRicovaInc., the company responsible for the piles of recycling left untouched across the borough, she told CBCNews Monday.

"This contract was awarded last August under the former administrationand their bid was something like $2 million lower than the others," Montgomerysaid.

Until that contract is ceded and a new company is brought in, the borough's own blue collar workers have been hitting the streets with municipal trucks, responding to calls of missed pickups.

Montgomery said a newcontract can't be issued without a council vote, and the next meetingisn't until August.

However, municipaladministrators are able to spend up to $100,000, paying waste management companies to pick up the recycling until council approves a new contract, she said.

From now until the end of the month, Montgomery said, the borough will respondto residents' calls and emails, picking up recycling onany missed streets as quickly as possible.

"Thank you everyone for your patience while we sort out our recycling issues," Montgomery wrote in a Facebook group Monday.

Meanwhile, Montgomery is telling citizens to put their recycling out on the regularly scheduled day. If it is not picked up, the borough will send out trucks on a subsequent day.

For example, a truck will be sent out on Wednesday if scheduled pickups are missed on Monday and Tuesday, she said in her post. If pickups are missed on Thursday and Friday, she adds, a borough truck will be sent out on Saturday.

She encouraged residentsto contact the borough if their street is missed.

Snowdon,Cte-des-Neigesa mess, too

Coun. Marvin Rotrand said he received about six complaints from his district of Snowdon, including entire streets that were missed by the contractor.

"It's gotten worse, week after week," said Rotrand. "This past week, in large parts of the borough, the recycling was not picked up."

When a contractor fails to do its job, Rotrand said the city will ask the company to cede the contract orface fines for failing to do the job.

As of Monday night, Ricovahad not responded to CBC's request for comment.