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Solid Waste subcommittee says new four‑day pickup schedule largely restored service, cites $5.58 million in savings
Summary
Department staff told the Metro Nashville Solid Waste Subcommittee that the new four‑day residential pickup schedule has returned service rates close to pre‑launch levels, that missed pickups are declining, and that operational changes have produced roughly $5.58 million in savings since the department began insourcing routes.
At a meeting of the Metro Nashville Solid Waste Subcommittee, department staff reported that the new four‑day residential collection schedule has largely stabilized service and produced multi‑million‑dollar savings. Matt, a department staff member who led the briefing, called the rollout “a massive success” and pointed to service metrics and cost reductions as evidence.
Matt said the department notified all 144,000 customers multiple times before launch, including direct mail, stickers placed on carts, broadcast and print stories, social posts and nearly 500,000 schedule views on the collection app. He reported pre‑launch service rates (the January baseline) of about 99.89% for trash and 99.78% for recycling, with average turnaround for reported missed pickups near two days (Metro alone averaged about 24 hours).
By the start of the fifth week after launch, staff reported combined service rates of about 99.67% for trash and 99.65% for recycling, and average turnaround for missed pickups under two days. Daily misses across all haulers declined from reported peaks (examples cited by staff: a week with 214 daily trash misses fell to 114 in a later week). “We always assumed we’d have a temporary negative bump,” Matt said, noting the declines show the system returning toward prior performance.
Staff also recounted operational changes that contributed to cost savings: the department insourced roughly 50,000 customers, raising Metro’s share of curbside service to about 63%. Matt reported the department had realized approximately $5.58 million in savings since the director’s arrival 17 months ago. Committee members applauded crews’ work during Winter Storm Fern and the teams who kept convenience centers open during the schedule transition.
Committee members asked staff to continue monitoring service and to flag issues quickly to council members. The subcommittee did not take formal action at the meeting; staff said they will return with updates at a subsequent meeting.
