Contractor crews on Thursday delivered carts to households on Katrina Lane in North Knoxville.
The first few thousand of the new 95-gallon wheeled garbage carts were delivered Thursday and early today in parts of South and North Knoxville.
Two thousand down... 58,000 to go!
Over the next three weeks, contract crews will be dropping off new garbage carts at each of Knoxville's 60,000 households. The new carts are a key component in modernizing trash collection in the City - making collection safer for the Waste Connections workers, reducing wind-blown litter and improving the aesthetics throughout neighborhoods by moving toward standardized carts.
Because the garbage trucks will be equipped with mechanical arms to lift and dump the cart contents, Waste Connections is anticipating fewer injuries from the repetition of workers lifting and throwing trash into the truck.
The increased efficiency will save City taxpayers $2 million each year.
“Cart delivery is going well! On Day 1, 1,787 garbage carts were delivered. As crews hit their stride today, they are on target to deliver about 3,000 carts daily,” said Rachel Butzler, the City's Solid Waste Manager.
“If you have any questions or concerns, please call 311 and let us know them. Delivering 60,000 carts is quite an undertaking, and we thank you for your patience and eagerness to receive your new garbage carts."
Contractor teams are rolling rental trucks through neighborhoods, delivering 3,000 or more carts each day.