Four years after starting, the City of Natchez’s curbside recycling program abruptly ended this week due to negligence on the part of eight people who are paid to care about such matters.

The cause was simple. The city’s leadership team failed to do its job.

Six aldermen, the mayor and the city attorney each hold responsibility for the flubbed city garbage collection contract.

To recap what led to the debacle, city aldermen voted not to extend an existing garbage collection contract with the intent, they said at the time, to seek out new proposals.

But they failed to move the plan forward.

For months after the initial discussion not to extend the contract, apparently none of the eight jotted down a reminder, set a calendar prompt on their computers or smartphones or really gave the matter much thought.

At the 11th hour, when too little time existed for the city to legally seek out new proposals, did the matter come up again for discussion.

The city’s only real option was to beg state permission to negotiate a new, short-term contract with the current garbage collector.

The garbage collector company, knowing it had the upper hand, insisted that the city either pay more money or drop curbside recycling.

Thus recycling was killed, a victim of apathetic leadership.

Natchez residents deserve better.