Memphis solid waste director details services, contractor rules, fees and organics plan

Ford Canale, chairman of the Memphis City Council, opened the Council Connect podcast episode by introducing Philip Davis, director of the city's Solid Waste Division, and asking for an overview of the division's services.

Philip Davis said the division employs roughly 640 people and services about 180,000 residential stops weekly, providing weekly garbage and recycling collection, cart maintenance, bulk-waste pickup twice per month and dead-animal collection. "We have about a 180,000 residential stops that we service weekly," Davis said.

Davis described the bulk-waste allowance as up to 10 cubic yards twice per month (about three full-size pickup truckloads), and noted the program also permits pickup of up to four tires on bulk collection days. He said the city also operates two drop-off centers for bulky items at 304 Collins Street (central city) and 3207 Ferris View Boulevard (near Lamar), open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday for residential customers.

On yard debris and tree work, Davis said homeowners who cut their own tree debris must cut material to size for city pickup (maximum 5 feet in length and 13 inches in diameter). "But when you hire a tree company, you need to make sure that tree company understands that it's their responsibility to remove that waste," he said, adding that contractor-generated debris left at the curb is not the city's responsibility under local ordinance.

Davis explained the city's enforcement process: crews place a yellow tag on noncompliant piles tied to the property address; the property owner receives an invoice if the pile is not removed within five days. "If they don't remove it within 5 days, then the city will come back, schedule a removal, and we'll document that removal and send an invoice," he said, and described the current charge as $100 an hour per employee involved plus $175 per load taken to the landfill. The director said the hourly charge covers collection time and travel to and from the landfill.

The stormwater ordinance also prohibits blowing grass clippings or leaves into storm drains, Davis said, because that debris can clog drains and create hazards during wet and cold weather.

Davis identified two ongoing operational challenges: surges in bulk-waste volume and contamination of the recycling stream. He said contamination lowers the value of recyclable commodities and increases costs for the city. "The biggest contaminant we see on the cart are bags," Davis said, noting that plastic bags and bagged trash can gum up sorting equipment and are treated as waste.

He told listeners the most useful items to place in the recycle cart are aluminum and tin cans, clear PET bottles and corrugated cardboard (broken down and placed inside the cart). He explicitly cautioned against greasy pizza boxes and said material left outside a cart is likely to get wet and lose value.

Looking ahead, Davis said recent council-approved investments are bringing new trucks to the division and that the division will add about 50 employees as new vehicles arrive. He also said the city has selected a vendor to operate a composting facility in Inslee Bottoms and plans to expand organics recycling on a commercial scale to include vegetative debris and, eventually, food waste.

Canale closed by thanking Davis and his team for their work keeping Memphis safe and clean.