Bristol’s New Trash Pickup Policy Leaves Residents Frustrated

Bristol, Tennessee recently rolled out a new trash pickup policy, and not everyone is happy about it.

In the past, trash trucks would make their rounds throughout the entire city, picking up everything from regular trash to brush and bulk items. Now, residents need to schedule an appointment for those bigger items. This change is crucial because if you forget to make the call, you could see your brush and bulk items sitting at the curb long after the trash has been taken away.

Todd Currin, a resident from Bristol, shared his frustration: “Now we come out 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.”

City officials defend the new policy, arguing that the previous system wasn’t cost-effective. “That, of course, results in a significant amount of time and fuel and in mileage on those collection vehicles,” explains Jon Luttrell, the Director of Community Relations for the City of Bristol, Tennessee. The change aims to save on costs and make the system more efficient.

However, not everyone sees it that way, and concerns have been raised, particularly by elderly residents. They may not be as tech-savvy or willing to make the necessary phone calls. “Elderly people who don’t use Facebook and don’t get on the internet may not want to pick the phone up and call ’cause people are reluctant to do things like that especially when we’ve been used to having them pick it up,” Currin said.

Since the new policy started, residents have noticed piles of brush accumulating alongside the roads. Bristol resident Charles Burroughs stated, “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 might have stuff out there, I didn’t call, and they just walk right past me.”

The main goal of the community members remains straightforward: keep the neighborhoods looking nice. “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,” said another resident, Dale Thomas.

On the flip side, city leaders stress that the aim is to maintain the same level of service without upping the costs for residents. “We really just want to try to provide the services that we’ve always provided without increased cost to the consumer, and the scheduling policy was one way to achieve that,” Luttrell said.

For those trying to adapt, the process to schedule a pickup has been made as straightforward as possible. Residents can schedule trash pickup two days in advance by going online to www.bristoltn.org/brushandbulk or calling (423) 989-5567.

As Bristol continues to adjust to this new system, feedback from the community will likely be essential for future tweaks and refinements. Until then, residents are left to navigate this new way of managing their bulk and brush waste.