New contractors hired for trash pickup

Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced Thursday the city is entering into emergency contracts with two companies to help pick up curbside trash.

• Red River Waste Solutions, the city's longtime trash collector, filed for federal bankruptcy and has failed to keep up with some of its routes.
• In response, Metro Water Services has sent employees to pick up trash, resulting in delays in neighborhoods across the city and a temporary pause to curbside recycling.

Why it matters: Cooper's administration is contracting with Waste Management and Waste Pro to take over some of Red River's routes on a temporary, emergency basis.

• "I expect you will see dramatic improvements," Cooper says, adding that the city is committed to finding a "permanent solution" to the trash collection challenge.
• Wally Dietz, Cooper's top legal adviser, says the city has a hearing next month in the bankruptcy case on its request to hire a permanent trash collector to handle some of the daily routes.