Rincon City Council approved a deal for Waste Management to take over the city’s garbage hauling at its meeting Wednesday night.

The city got three proposals, including one from current contract holder Republic, but the best deal came from Waste Management, according to City Manager Donald Toms.

“It’s a sizable difference,” he said.

Toms said he checked with Pooler and Garden City, where Waste Management also has been contracted, and got strong reviews.

“They were given very high compliments and little or no complaints,” he said. “That’s wonderful news.”

Waste Management also recently won the contract to provide trash service to Richmond Hill and will be bringing in new equipment for that deal. The company has two new trucks in North Carolina it bring down to service Rincon.

The company has a facility on Highway 80 in Garden City with a garage to service its trucks. Waste Management also will be putting in new 96-gallon trash carts for residents. Currently, residents have 90-gallon carts.

“They’re a little more heavy duty than the current carts,” Toms said.

Waste Management’s carts also will have a phone number on them for customers to call for complaints. The company will be sending out flyers to residents to inform them of the changeover.

The contract is for three years, with a 90-day notice of termination for the city. After the initial three years is up, there are two five-year renewals of the deal. The contract price will increase by 3 percent or the consumer price index, whichever is lower, each year.

Toms said Republic has agreed to work with the city during the changeover. Republic’s contract with the city expired in October.

“The bottom line is the cost and the current service,” he said.

Council members also had the first reading of a solid waste ordinance that covered items that can placed in the trash for curbside pickup.

“We are preparing a flyer to mail out to all the customers about what they can or can’t put into the trash,” Toms said.

He said items that weren’t allowed to be placed in the trash previously were put into garbage carts to be picked up, and when the trucks came by to pick up the trash, they skipped those containers.

“So some people thought it was a miss,” Toms said.