02-04-2025
New trash containment system coming to downtown Knoxville
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A $75,000 donation is helping the City of Knoxville install new trash containment systems in the downtown area to solve the growing problem of pungent garbage receptacles.
According to the City of Knoxville, crews currently collect garbage in downtown from more than 700 carts and 85 locations eight to nine times a week. Despite frequent pickups, the carts can be smelly, messing and sprawling, the city said.
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With the region growing and downtown continuing to be popular, the city needed to find a way to accommodate growth while also navigating the limited capacity to add more pickups. The Downtown Knoxville Alliance (DKA) stepped in to help with the solution.
On Tuesday, the Knoxville City Council recognized the DKA for making a $75,000 donation toward the advancement of the City's plan to add quiet, clean and self-contained trash compactors throughout downtown.
To address the issue of not being able to collect trash frequently enough for the growing population, the City is working to use fewer carts and a network of trash compactors. According to the City of Knoxville, the first of these compactors will be installed in the area of Jackson Avenue and Central Street, replacing a cart corral in the next few months.
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'Because these compactors are truly self-contained, they will be less smelly, create no noise or litter, and take up much less sidewalk space,' said Chad Weth, Deputy Chief Operating Officer. 'They will support opportunities for smart growth downtown.
The compactors will only need to be emptied once or twice a week, he said. Weth added that eventually, the move will save the city $170,000 worth of labor per year, allowing that staff's time and resources to be used in a better way of serving downtown residents and businesses.
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