NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WTVF) – With curbside recycling suspended in Nashville, residents must find a less convenient way to recycle.
On Saturday and Sunday, residents near Harris-Hillman School dropped off their recycling in the front circle. The school welcomed two Metro recycling trucks. During the week, the trucks and crew collect the garbage instead. The city made the decision to move recycling resources to garbage collection when its prime contractor, Red River Waster Solutions, fell three weeks behind in December.
While residents said they enjoyed the event, they said they couldn’t find how convenient curbside pickup made recycling.
“Ironically, we pay $ 7,000 a year in taxes and that’s what you get for your tax,” said resident Quentin Eichbaum. “Recycling is essential. We strongly believe in climate change and we can do more to save the planet.”
Several elected officials organized the deposit at the school.
They don’t want people to stop recycling just because curbside pickup is interrupted.
“I see it in our own neighborhood. Our alleys are filling up and it’s really disheartening because [recycling] is such an important part of what we do as a community, ”said Gini Pupo-Walker, Metro Nashville School Board member.
Tom Cash – who is a board member for District 18 where the Harris-Hillman School is located – said the Metropolitan Council is staying on Metro Waste Services to bring back the pickup.
“We encourage them to think outside the box and find good solutions. We believe that once the holidays increase in both recyclables and waste, once we get through that, we feel good that we’ll be back on track, ”Cash said.
Click here for a list of recycling drop-off sites for Davidson County residents, many of which are open 24 hours a day.