PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Portsmouth City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to return to the city's previous weekly bulk trash pickup system after complaints about the rollout of a new appointment-only procedure.
The city began transitioning to the new system through an ordinance that went into effect July 1, moving away from weekly bulk pickup and requiring residents to schedule pickups.
Portsmouth City Manager Steven Carter said the appointment-only system was designed to make bulk pickup more efficient by using scheduled requests to determine how many trucks were needed and plan their routes.
"We want clean neighborhoods. We want reliable services. We want better operating efficiencies," Carter said.
See previous coverage: Confused about Portsmouth’s trash rules? Here’s what’s changed
But city leaders said the rollout has been confusing, with residents receiving different information about when and how to schedule a pickup.
Councilman Vernon Tillage said he has also heard from residents who had trouble reaching someone by phone.
"I'm getting complaints that people are calling on the phone, but no answer," Tillage said.
Portsmouth resident David House said ahead of Tuesday's meeting that bulk trash in front of his neighbor's house had sat for weeks.
"They need to trash the ordinance that they put in place and go back to where it was before," House said.
See previous coverage: ‘Trash is still sitting’: Portsmouth bulk trash complaints build as issue heads back to City Council
The city had planned to fully switch to the new system Oct. 1.
Vice Mayor Bill Moody initiated the move to delay that transition.
"We need to delay this until January and let's get the stuff picked up," Moody said.
Carter suggested the city use door hangers, stickers, door-to-door outreach and other methods to make sure residents understand the rules before trying a new system again.
Council members then voted unanimously to accept Moody's proposal.
Mayor Shannon Glover confirmed Wednesday that weekly bulk trash pickup is back in effect until at least January.
"Trash is about trust," Glover said. "We've kind of broken the trust with our citizens because we did have an amazing system."
City Council wants to see improvements to the new system before another rollout.
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