By Matt Sepic and Tom Weber, KWMU
St. Louis – The St. Louis County Council on Tuesday declined to change a controversial trash service plan.
A year ago, the council decided to slice the county into eight districts and grant a single waste hauling contract to each district.
Supporters say that will reduce garbage truck traffic. But Tom Diehl, with a group called Citizens Against Trashy Government, said unincorporated subdivisions already have the power to limit trash trucks.
"If you use the logic of the county, why don't we just go with FedEx and keep UPS out of the subdivisions to cut down on that wear and tear?" Diehl said.
"Or maybe we can just have one restaurant chain delivering pizzas."
Opponents also said one big company could monopolize all eight districts.
Councilwoman Barb Fraser proposed limiting waste management companies to just two of those districts, but on Tuesday, the council voted her idea down.
"What we were dealing with was fixing a law. I'm very disappointed that we haven't fixed it," Fraser said.
Council members also defeated a proposal that would have delayed implementation of the trash plan. That means it will still go into effect in the fall.