Macon Magazine

90 maconmagazine.com | December 2024/January 2025 "We clean the city. Overall, it's a great job. This means that we're making sure that our city is a better place to live." facilities, to acknowledging past wrongs and rectifying them, progress has been made in various ways. Not to be excluded from the city's renaissance is the entity responsible for collecting garbage and cleaning up illegal dumping sites, the Macon- Bibb County Solid Waste Department. To see the signifi cance of what they do and its impact in action, this author and photographer went on a ride with Ryland – the contracted residential collector of garbage – and followed Solid Waste to clean illegal garbage dumps on behalf of Macon Magazine. On an overcast morning on election day, on a site off 11th Street, we gathered before heading out to an illegal dump site, speaking fi rst with Macon-Bibb County Solid Waste Director Maurice Jackson. He's overseen 35 county workers as a director for the past fi ve years, and started a decade ago as a truck service worker before making his way to the top spot. He says garbage is a big deal. "Where there are people, there is garbage. Not only are we collecting garbage, we're maintaining the environment. We play a major role in collecting things in a timely manner," Jackson stated. We roll out in diff erent directions at 9:15 a.m. Around 9:33 a.m., the dump truck I'm in, driven by Heavy Equipment Operator Dennis White crosses Pio Nono Avenue heading towards a reported illegal dumping problem area at the foot of Bloomfi eld Road, next to a Boys and Girls Club location. When we arrive, the scope of the eyesore becomes clear. The dump consists of old furniture, garbage bags, wood, cardboard, small appliances, and a host of other discarded items. A dispatched crew has been waiting for White, who immediately springs into action as soon as he positions his truck. The 37-year old Augusta native has been with the department for four years. He too started out as an entry level worker, but obtained his CDL license along the way, giving him the promoted responsibility of driving and collecting. "We really have an impact in the community, but it's a background impact," White said over the engine noise of his truck roaring on the way. "I do think we're underrated. When your trash is piling up, we're the go-to. We might not get a lot of credit, but at the end of the day, we do what we got to do. It's our job." Witnessing the crew at work is wondrous. They work fast and furiously, but are laser beam focused on the task at hand. When fi nished, what was once a disappointing detriment to the beauty and safety of this neighborhood exists no more. All 0.85 tons of it. Dana Davis, another Heavy Equipment Operator and 23-year member of the department, is onsite to assist as needed. As a rare female employee, she considers herself as "one of the fellas" and reminds people that she's charged with doing the same tasks as her male coworkers. She thinks some people view what they do as a nasty job – but she considers it a clean job. "We clean the city. Overall, it's a great job. This means that we're making sure that our city is a better place to live." Davis and White echoed Jackson when asked what is needed to stop illegal dumping. All feel that the greatest available deterrent are the new county Convenience Centers. The three locations throughout Macon-Bibb were added starting in 2022 as a means of giving citizens a readily available, legal, safe means of disposing items too big for the curb. Anyone can use one with just an ID to prove that one is a resident of Macon-Bibb County. People caught dumping randomly are subject to fi nes and even jail time, said Jackson. It's why he desires for residents to utilize the Convenience Centers as a collaborative way of maintaining a clean, safe Macon. "We're here for the residents, the county, and environment. On a day-to-day basis it's trying. But we're committed to keeping the city clean." This is the same attitude at Ryland, the contracted agency responsible for collecting garbage. Odom rode shotgun with driver Kelvin Jackson, a collection route that went well, according to Jackson. It was in line with what was expected by Ryland Division Head Troy Winfrey, who oversees the local team. Winfrey is a veteran sanitation professional of 25 years, who has been with Ryland for three and describes his employment there as a godsend. "Ryland revitalized my career. My time here has been nearly perfect," he said. TOP LEFT Ryland employees work through a residential garbage route. RIGHT Specialized equipment is what helps these professionals handle hazardous materials Operations Supervisor Chris Powell (left) stands with colleagues at Ryland's main o ce in Macon.

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