MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Mayor Jim Strickland apologized Monday to residents in Cordova who complain they haven’t had trash picked up in weeks, and promised to solve the problem.
Several viewers in the Chimneyrock area messaged WREG with complaints about trash not being picked up, in some cases since January, they said.
Strickland said Inland Waste, the private company that is contracted by the city to pick up trash in some Memphis neighborhoods has fallen behind. He said he met with Cordova residents about it Sunday.
“This is not the level of service that citizens should expect from City government, and I apologize for it. No excuses,” Strickland said.
Inland told Strickland they would be caught up on backlogged waste and recycling collection by the end of Monday and said the company was working on cleaning up debris at curbs.
More manpower would be dispatched to areas serviced by Inland for as much as 12 hours a day and through the weekend, Strickland said.
The mayor also said he is working on a long-term strategy to improve solid waste collection across the city.
It is not clear what caused Inland’s backlog in the first place. The company has faced complaints from Memphis residents since its contract began in 2014, and lost its contract to service Germantown.