PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Portsmouth residents are adjusting to several changes in how the city collects regular trash, recycling and bulk waste.
Some neighbors have expressed confusion about the updated rules, while others said they're fine with the changes as long as their neighborhoods stay clean.
Here's what residents need to know about the city's updated trash collection process, including a bulk pickup change coming Sept. 1.
For Tony Goodwin, who has lived in Portsmouth's Park View neighborhood with his family for decades, regular trash pickup has not been a problem.
But Goodwin said he has been waiting for a response to a SeeClickFix request about trash that has been sitting near his neighborhood since early June.
“The little bit of trash that I've reported over here on the side has given us since the first part of June, it's kinda still there,” he said.
Overloaded trash cans could be skipped
One of the changes residents need to know involves how much trash can be placed in a single container.
Jerod Roberts, Portsmouth's public works director, said severely overloaded trash cans will be skipped by collection crews.
“If your can is severely overloaded, the truck will bypass it.”
Roberts said the policy is intended to prevent trash from falling out of containers when they are lifted by collection trucks.
“When the truck grabs it, there’s a high chance that the trash is gonna fall out on the ground.”
Portsmouth's waste collection crews service about 8,000 residents a day from Tuesday through Friday, according to Roberts. He said the volume makes it difficult for drivers to stop and clean up trash that falls out of overloaded cans.
Residents who have two trash cans can use both to help manage extra garbage.
Old recycling bins can now be used for trash
Another change involves recycling.
Residents can now use their old recycling bins as a second trash can. Recyclables no longer have to be separated into a specific blue bin because they are sorted at the facility.
Roberts encouraged residents who have two containers to use them.
"If you have two cans, utilize those cans," he said. "I know a lot of residents are getting a little confused about the blue and the black cans. Everything is single stream now.”
Bulk pickup requests are changing
The city is also changing how residents request bulk waste pickup.
Starting Sept. 1, residents will need to call 757-393-8629 or fill out the city's request form for bulk waste pickup. Those requests are entered into the city's waste management dashboard, which helps officials determine how many trucks are needed and where they need to go.
Roberts said the city uses a threshold of 40 stops per truck.
“So if we have 80 stops, we know that we need to put out 2 trucks versus us having to put out 7 trucks every single day and wasting labor, equipment, and fuel.”
The city said residents should request bulk pickup 48 hours before their neighborhood's regular bulk pickup day for the request to be accepted in time for that route.
Roberts said the dashboard was launched about a week ago and is currently an internal tool. He said it could eventually become a public resource.
Some residents want more information
Goodwin said residents who have a pickup skipped because of an overloaded container should receive more than just an inspection sticker. He said there should be clear information explaining why it was skipped and what they need to do next.
“Waste management can also put on the sticker if they see this is a recurring thing, to put a list of new rules, phone numbers, new processes, that's another way to get the word out,” he said.
For residents adjusting to the new rules, city officials said understanding the changes to regular trash, recycling and bulk pickup can help prevent missed collections and keep neighborhoods clean. You can find all the new rules on the city website.
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