Is Privatization a Viable Fix for St. Louis' Trash Problem?

David Nicklaus, a business columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, claims in his latest column that privatization is the obvious answer for the city's trash problem.

Nicklaus points out that many of St. Louis' suburbs now rely on private contractors to collect residential trash, and other large cities, like Toledo, Ohio, have done the same. Regulations, rising costs and the need for more specialized equipment are some of the factors that have pushed cities and counties to turn their garbage routes over to private contractors, Nicklaus notes.

And because St. Louis at times only has half of its 84 garbage trucks in working order, Nicklaus maintains the city would be a prime candidate for privatization.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has more:

In all the discussion of St. Louis' trash problems, I haven't heard much about one obvious long-term solution: Get the city out of the garbage business.

St. Louis, after all, is thinking about turning its airport, which by all accounts is well run, over to private operators. Wouldn't it make even more sense to outsource something the city doesn't do well?

Many of St. Louis' suburbs rely on private contractors to collect residential trash, and other large cities have made the switch. Toledo, Ohio, privatized its garbage pickup in 2011, as did Detroit in 2014.

Read the full column here.