Bristol’s New Trash Pickup Policy Leaves Residents Annoyed and Confused
Bristol, Tennessee — The City of Bristol, Tennessee has rolled out a new trash pick-up policy, and it’s leaving residents anything but pleased. The shift in the city’s waste management approach is turning out to be more of a headache than a help for many locals.
Under the new policy, residents now need to schedule appointments for bulk trash and brush pick-up instead of having these items collected on the same day as their regular garbage service. This change has stirred quite a bit of frustration among community members who are not used to the extra steps involved.
“Now we’re requesting our residents to make an appointment to have those items picked up. Whereas previously, they would’ve just been picked up on the same day as the regular trash,” explained Jon Luttrell, Director of Community Relations for the City of Bristol, Tennessee. This adjustment intends to provide a more time and cost-efficient service but at the cost of convenience to the residents.
Todd Currin, a resident of Bristol, voiced his own frustrations about the new policy. “Now we come out on Monday afternoon, the trash can is empty, but your brush and anything you put to the road is still there if you did not make this phone call,” he said. This scenario is becoming a common occurrence in the city.
Previously, trash collection trucks would drive through the entire city collecting brush and bulk items along with regular trash. City officials argue that this method was not sustainable in terms of time, fuel, and wear on the collection vehicles. “That of course results in a significant amount of time and fuel and in mileage on those collection vehicles,” noted Luttrell.
However, not everyone believes the change is for the better. Some residents, particularly elderly ones, find the new system cumbersome. “Elderly people who don’t use Facebook and don’t get on the internet may not want to pick the phone up and call because people are reluctant to do things like that especially when we’ve been used to having them pick it up,” Currin pointed out.
The issue extends beyond mere inconvenience. Residents have noticed an increase in piles of brush along the side of the road, creating unsightly and potentially troublesome spots in neighborhoods. Charles Burroughs, another local, shared his discontent, “We don’t mind going online to fill out the form, but what irks me is sometimes it’s like Todd might have stuff out here I may have stuff out there, I didn’t call and they just walk right past me.”
One of the community’s main concerns is maintaining the aesthetic and cleanliness of their neighborhoods. Dale Thomas, a long-time Bristol resident, voiced this sentiment, “We want to keep it clean. We try to do our part to keep our place clean, and we think the city should take care of what they’ve been taking care of for the last several years.”
For those who need to schedule a pick-up, it can be done two days in advance either online at www.bristoltn.org/brushandbulk or by calling (423) 989-5567. Still, this additional step is proving to be a hurdle for many.
Luttrell assured that the goal behind the scheduling policy was to maintain the level of service without hiking costs for residents. “We really just want to try to provide the services that we’ve always provided without increased costs to the consumer and the scheduling policy was one way to achieve that,” he explained.
As the community grapples with these changes, it remains to be seen whether the benefits of the new system will outweigh the challenges. For now, frustration and confusion seem to be the prevailing sentiments among Bristol, Tennessee residents.
