SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — Beginning August 1, Shelby County will begin solid waste service in the Northaven subdivision off North Watkins street.
This is the first time such a plan has been implemented by the county, and residents can’t wait to see the program begin.
James Dalton has lived in Northaven for five years and takes pride in his property, but he said not everyone feels the same way.
“Sometimes there’s trash all over the road and street,” Dalton said. “The wind blows it. Sometimes people don’t pick their trash up. A lot of folks can’t afford no trash pickup over here.”
Dalton and other concerned residents in Northaven could start to see a noticeable change in the landscape August 1, as Shelby County begins the Northaven Trash and Blight Remediation program.
“Northaven has suffered from blight, from trash and litter,” Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said. “They have complained for years and years.”
Harris said the first of its kind program, in which the county will enter into a contract with a sanitation company, will ensure about 1,096 Northaven households have solid waste pickup contracts, something not everyone in the subdivision currently has.
“So the problem is, if you have neighbors that don’t have contracts for trash collection, and they still generate trash, their trash ends up going somewhere,” Harris said.
Plans are for the county to partner with MLGW to help administer fee collection on a monthly basis.
Residents like Sarah Bynum said the program will dramatically reduce stray animals and rodents and make Northaven a good place to call home.
“This has been like the norm for over 20 years that I’ve been here, having to look at this garbage when you’re headed home, and most people really want to have a clean, decent community to live in,” Bynum said.
The plan still has to be approved by the MLGW division board and the Memphis City Council.
