Bristol’s New Trash Pickup Policy Leaves Residents Frustrated

Bristol, Tennessee – The city has recently rolled out a new trash pickup policy, and it’s safe to say many residents are not happy with the changes. The new system requires residents to schedule a pickup appointment for any bulk items or brush they want to be collected, rather than having these items picked up alongside regular trash as was done previously.

“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 new requirement has left some of the residents scratching their heads.

Todd Currin, a Bristol resident, voiced his displeasure: “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.”

Previously, trash collection trucks traveled throughout the city picking up both regular trash and bulk items. City officials have switched to the new policy, citing inefficiency in the old system. “That, of course, results in a significant amount of time and fuel and in mileage on those collection vehicles,” pointed out Luttrell. However, many believe this new system is causing more problems than it’s solving, especially for elderly residents.

“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 added.

Since the policy change, residents have noticed an increase in piles of brush along the side of the road. This situation has caused some concerns in the community. Charles Burroughs, another resident, commented, “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.”

For many community members, the main goal remains to 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,” noted Dale Thomas, another Bristol resident.

Residents can schedule their trash pickup two days in advance either online or by calling (423) 989-5567. Despite the inconvenience, city leaders argue that the new policy helps keep costs low. “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,” concluded Luttrell.

While the city aims to balance efficiency and cost, it seems the new policy has still got some way to go before becoming the seamless system residents hope for. For now, the challenge for Bristol’s citizens is to adjust to the changes and ensure they follow the new procedure to keep their neighborhoods clean and orderly.

Stay connected and keep informed on any further changes by visiting the official city website or reaching out to local community resources.