As of early next year, Lehighton residents will have their garbage and recycling picked up on a new day.

Larry Wittig, president of Tamaqua Transfer, the borough’s new garbage contractor, met with borough council on Thursday.

Wittig had requested to have a Tuesday garbage pickup and Monday recycling pickup, but council referred to the bid specifications requiring recycling and garbage to be picked up on one day.

As of Jan. 10, garbage and recycling will be picked up on a Tuesday, according to borough Manager Nicole Beckett.

Beckett said the borough will coordinate the removal of the County Waste toter cans and replacement of the Tamaqua Transfer toter cans.

She added the borough will keep the public notified via the Times News, the borough’s website, social media, and a public notice phone call/text message.

Last month, council on a 5-1 vote awarded a three-year contract to Tamaqua Transfer and Recycling in the amount of $1,435,800 from 2021-2023.

Before that vote, council heard from the parties who bid on the contract.

Jonas Kreitzer, of County Waste LLC, the borough’s current trash hauler, asked council whether it would consider rebidding.

Kreitzer said he knows at least one other company that would have bid, and believes rebidding the contract would be the best thing “so that everyone could bid fairly.”

But, Wittig told council he didn’t believe that would be the way to go about things.

Councilman Ryan Saunders noted that if the borough were to award a contract to the lowest bidder, the garbage bill would only go up about $2 a month, which would raise the rate from $25 to $27.

Saunders said that not only as a resident, but also a councilman, the borough has fielded various complaints about its current trash hauler.

Councilwoman Autumn Abelovsky initially said she didn’t fee comfortable awarding a contract, because she didn’t feel she had all the necessary information at her disposal.

Councilman Donnie Rehrig noted that based on the lowest bid, he said residents would be looking at about a $2 increase per month.

Saunders said that since the borough’s finance and administration is comfortable and confident with a $2 increase, so was he.

Kreitzer reiterated that he believes there was confusion of what was in the bid specs, and that it would be unfair to other companies who wanted clarification.

The borough’s five-year garbage contract with County Waste LLC is set to expire at the end of this year.

Tamaqua Transfer and Recycling had previously been the borough’s trash hauler.