Starting in early 2020, recycling will be picked up curbside in Nashville every two weeks instead of once a month. Nearly $2.8 million in public and private grants is helping to make the expansion of the city’s recycling program possible. “A lot of people have been asking for that for a very longtime,” Mayor David Briley, who spoke Thursday at a news conference, said. “People know that recycling is important to sustainability, it’s good economically and it’s important for our city to lead our region in that regard.”
The city received the funding from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the national nonprofit The Recycling Partnership and the beauty product brand Love Beauty and Planet. “The combined grant funding that we’re presenting today is a perfect example of how partnership can drive change,” Rob Taylor, with The Recycling Partnership, said. “It’s going to be a big win for the Nashville community and it’s also going to be a big win for the greater recycling economy in Tennessee and the Southeast.”
The money will pay for 16 collection vehicles in Nashville and 8,000 more recycling carts for residents. This change impacts 139,000 households in the city. Every household that currently has their recycling collected curbside once a month by the city will benefit from the increase, said Sharon Smith, who works for Metro Nashville Public Works.