Nashville's trash pickup provider files for bankruptcy
Adam Friedman
Red River Waste Solutions, the company responsible for Nashville's waste collection, filed for bankruptcy, but it's unlikely to impact residents for the time being.
"This is not a sky is falling moment," Metro Council member Zach Young, chairman of the Council's transportation and infrastructure committee, told The Tennessean. "Metro has met with Red River's leadership, and they're cautiously optimistic service won't be interrupted."
Red River filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Oct. 14. Chapter 11 is a form of bankruptcy that allows a company to restructure its business to keep it running.
On Wednesday, during a specially called council executive committee meeting, council members discussed implementing a contingency plan in case issues do arise.
Red River's bankruptcy technically allows the company to stop picking up garbage.
Metro Water Services, which oversees trash pickup, is holding weekly calls with executives involved in Red River's reorganization.
About 60% of the city's garbage pickup is done by Red River. Last year, the company received a wave of scrutiny from council members over years of inconsistent trash pickup.
Red River has collected trash in Nashville since 2004. Issues with the provider started in 2017, as the city expanded its Urban Services District and Nashville saw exponential growth.
The city recently expanded the days of trash pickup from four to five to address some of those issues.
Young said he was "optimistic" about the reorganization process.
"This could potentially help us find solutions to some of the service issues we've been having," he said.
Adam Friedman is The Tennessean’s evening reporter covering breaking news, crime, cops and a little bit of everything else. If you have a news tip, he wants it. Email him at afriedman@tennessean.com or call him at 731-431-8517.