Mayor John Cooper and other Metro officials promised improvements to citywide trash service in a special Thursday press conference.
The address followed months of issues with Nashville’s main trash pickup contractor, Red River, which filed for bankruptcy in October and has struggled to keep up with its assigned routes. Cooper called Red River’s deficiencies “outrageous” and said the city would bring on two emergency vendors to help pick up trash.
Metro is asking a bankruptcy court for more latitude in its dealings with Red River, and a hearing on one such request is scheduled early next month.
Metro Legal Director Wally Dietz said bringing on the extra contractors would cost the city, but did not specify how much. The city began working with Red River in 2004 and renewed its contract in 2013. Metro Water Services Director Scott Potter said the city has learned from the situation that a long-term contract may not be the best approach but that he is “confident that better days are ahead.”
In the meantime, Metro will continue collecting three of Red River’s routes, while an emergency vendor takes on five of the routes, leaving Red River responsible for 13.
Waste Management officials said they had reached an agreement with Metro to take on 12 daily routes servicing 49,000 homes for the next 120 days. WM Area Vice President Eddie McManus said the company is “happy to be able to provide some short-term relief to the city … during this uniquely challenging period.”
Beginning in December, Metro halted recycling pickup for several weeks as it used MWS trucks to help out Red River.
Nicole Williams contributed reporting to this story.
