Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Knoxville City Council approves trash contract, greenway construction

The Knoxville City Council approved a new $4 million waste management contract Tuesday with Waste Connections of Tennessee.

The company is the city's current trash provider. Under the new contract, Waste Connections will provide  collection for household garbage and recycling materials for a seven-year term with three optional three-year renewals.

Tuesday’s vote comes two weeks after the city council voted to allow the city to purchase about 62,000 95-gallon trash receptacles.

Each homeowner will receive a new 95-gallon trash cart that trucks can lift instead of workers under the new plan. The 95-gallon cans replace citizens’ four 32-gallon can that are currently permitted.
City leaders said the plan will save Knoxville about $2 million per year.

Director of Public Service Chad Weth said the new service will not cost workers their jobs.

"They do hire temporary labor. So it might require less temporary labor," Weth said. "If they have to lose folks, they would find work for anyone that's currently understaffed."

Also during Tuesday's meeting, the council approved a resolution for an agreement with Wilson Construction to expand the First Creek Greenway.

The resolution calls for up to $1.22 million to be spent expanding the greenway to connect Woodland Avenue to Edgewood Park.

The new portion will run along Fulton High School, cross a new pedestrian bridge across First Creek to North Broadway, and then continue along Edgewood Avenue to Edgewood Park, the North Knoxville Library and the Larry Cox Senior Center, according to the city council agenda.

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