PLAQUEMINE - Iberville Parish is severing ties with maligned company Republic Services, opting to instead find another contractor to handle garbage pick-ups.

The parish council announced Thursday that the government's contract with Republic will expire Jan. 10. After that, the parish's new contract with Pelican Waste will go into effect Jan. 13. That new deal will last four years.

All pick-up dates and routes will be unchanged.

Republic Services has been the target of much scrutiny in the capital area, with local officials being flooded with phone calls last year over frequent missed pick-ups, among other issues. The future of Republic's contracts in parishes like East Baton Rouge and Ascension is still unclear at this time.