NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Trash is overflowing from bins after Metro's primary pickup contractor filed for bankruptcy.
On Thursday city officials announced a plan to help. The city is bringing on two new emergency vendors to help with trash collection services. In addition, Mayor John Cooper said Metro's Waste Services crews are pulling 12-hour shifts.
"I expect you will see dramatic improvements, now we all know the delays Red River is having," Cooper said. "I’m frustrated, it’s unacceptable and I know you are too."
Watch the full announcement below:
Red River Waste Solutions provides 73% of Metro's trash pick-up, which is why there’s been a disruption.
Driving down Apache Trail and Tusculum Road, you can see where trash is piling up. Due to delays, residents are leaving their bins on the side of the road so they don't miss their day.
For Victoria Decker and Letty Rammal, they've taken matters into their own hands. They're storing all their trash and recycling in their garage.
"We can’t fit this in our trash bin so we have it out here," Rammal said. "But when they come back, and throw our trash out, but then once we have our trash bin back and it’s empty, it will still fill up. So we’ll still be behind, so that’s kind of what we’ve been dealing with."
Red River's contract expires in two years. Because the company filed for bankruptcy, the city can't terminate its contract with the company. Instead, Metro officials are going to bankruptcy court on March 8 to see if they can give Red River's routes to another trash company.
"We’ve lived here 3 or 4 months and recycling still has not come here," Rammal said. "I’ve been paying out of pocket to have someone come pick up my trash and it gets really expensive."
