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Nashville Waste Services reports pickup reliability gains, urges enforcement to recoup uncollected fees
Summary
Nashville Waste Services told the Solid Waste Board that combined trash service rates rose to 99.82% and recycling to 99.77% after route changes; staff said enforcement of private-hauler permits and a $6-per-ton generator fee could recover “at the very least a couple million dollars.”
Matt Purvis, identified in the meeting as the council liaison for Nashville Waste Services, told the Solid Waste Board that pickup reliability has improved since a March reroute and schedule change. "Our service rate for all three haulers combined is now 99.82," Purvis said, adding that recycling service now stands at "99.77." He said daily averages have fallen to about 91 trash misses and 34 recycling misses, down from roughly 183 trash and 49 recycling misses in February.
Purvis framed illegal dumping and permit enforcement as linked issues. He said the department is reviewing alleged illegal landfill addresses and pursuing two county code tools: chapter 10.20.100 (private collection permits) and 10.20.360 (solid waste generator fees). "Every company that hauls trash anywhere in the county should be permitted with us," he said, and noted that landfills and transfer stations are the usual fee reporting points.
On potential revenue, Purvis said staffing changes would allow the county to collect unpaid fees. "We know how much we should be getting, and we know how much we are getting, and there's at the very least a couple million dollars that we uh that is out there for us to capture uh with additional personnel," he said. He described current steps as largely investigative—visiting suspected sites to identify vehicles and companies—and invited citizen tips on vehicles traveling to dumping locations.
Council members asked for next steps. Purvis said staff are still identifying which companies are hauling to illicit sites and that additional personnel would be needed to enforce permitting and collect outstanding tonnage fees. No motion or vote was taken.
The board also discussed filling two vacancies on the state-mandated solid waste region board, which Purvis said the state prefers be held by elected officials. He asked council members interested in serving to let staff know.
