Richmond stops early trash pickup after noise complaints

• Earlier pickup times can be granted if the chief administrative officer authorizes it in writing for health or safety reasons.

Why it matters: Those hours used to start at 5am, which some city council members said has led to resident noise complaints.

Catch up quick: Garbage collectors have long been exempt from the noise ordinance, which counts anything above a household refrigerator's sounds between 11pm and 7am as a violation.

• The proposal — first introduced by councilwomen Katherine Jordan (2nd District) and Stephanie Lynch (5th District in March — hasn't been popular among the Department of Public Works, the agency responsible for trash pickup.
• In a July committee meeting, DPW director Bobby Vincent said he and his staff didn't understand why the hours needed to be changed.
• Vincent noted that some public trash pickups starts on weekdays at 4am to avoid any potential conflicts due to congestion and tight streets.

Fun fact: There's an RVA Reddit thread from nearly a decade ago complaining about loud trash collection.

• One user commented that it's woken their infant kid up.
• Another said, "Asking the city to be quiet so you can sleep isn't going to work. Buy some ear plugs."

Go deeper: Richmond wants you to pay for being loud