KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHL) — A popular service will not make a return after stopping during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The City of Kingsport will officially end its curbside recycling pickup program after halting the service in 2020.
Kingsport Deputy City Manager Ryan McReynolds said the city brought on an outside consultant to review the city’s services. He said that the results suggested pivoting from curbside pickup to various drop-off locations around the city.
“The value there is when you drop stuff off, you’ve segmented it into its different category ways,” McReynolds said.
Another big change could be coming to residents who live outside of Kingsport city limits.
City officials are proposing an increase in fees for sanitation services for non-city residents.
Voluntary customers, which are those who have other garbage collection options, could see the price for garbage pickup rise by roughly 25%.
“The intent there is to stay competitive, to stay attractive,” McReynolds said.
The increase in sanitation fees is not yet official. McReynolds said the Board of Mayor and Aldermen will vote on the proposal in the summer.
McReynolds said the city will begin notifying residents that they plan to start collecting blue recycling carts from residents this summer. He said that it’ll likely take months to collect them all.
The plan is to repurpose the carts for a different use.
“They will become part of our inventory for carts that need to be replaced in our garbage collection,” McReynolds said.
Longtime Kingsport resident Mike Baker said he frequently used the city’s curbside program. He said that it’s a valuable service that he’ll hate to see go away for good.
“I have missed the convenience of having the curbside recycling,” Baker said. “That was a nice amenity, and we made full advantage of it.”
Baker said that a drop-off location is near his home. He said that he plans to continue recycling whenever he can.
“We’re going to try to continue to make the effort,” Baker said.
