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A trash collection bid from the city's Environmental Services Division beat proposals from private trash haulers Waste Management Services of North Huntingdon and Allied Waste Industries, formerly BFI, of McDonald, city officials said today.

The city's bid of $3.24 million a year in a three-year contract was $1.1 million cheaper than that of Waste Management, the next lowest bidder.

Mayor Bob O'Connor has approved Pittsburgh's bid, meaning city workers will continue to collect trash from about 31,972 residential stops in the city's 17 southern neighborhoods. Pittsburgh's state-run Act 47 recovery team - charged with finding ways to cut costs over five years - told the city to seek bids for 28 percent of the city's 44 garbage collection routes and 9 recycling routes in hopes of lowing costs by privatizing some of the work.

Bill Klimovich, an assistant Public Works director in charge of the city's environmental services, said his proposal would save the city $1.2 million to $1.4 million a year.

The biggest factor in the city's successful bid was the proposal of a four-day work week for garbage collectors, who currently work five, Klimovich said.

Public Works Director Guy Costa agreed, "We would like to go with the four-day week. We think that's more cost effective."

Klimovich said that even though a four-day week would mean 10-hour days for garbage collectors, it would require fewer garbage trucks and allow him to put three workers on each truck as opposed to two, allowing the driver to focus on safe driving.

A shorter work week would have to be approved by Teamsters Local 249, which represents the city's 160 garbage collectors. The union, which opposed privatization, is working under a contract that expired in 2004.

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