MURRAY – Residential trash service in the City of Murray will resume Thursday following days of delays caused by Winter Storm Fern, though pickup will be limited to streets that sanitation trucks can safely access.
Collection will begin with the Monday route and proceed in the normal sequence, according to Murray Solid Waste Manager Ron Allbritten. Drivers will make determinations street by street, based on road conditions.
Allbritten advised that, generally, the streets running north-south are in good enough condition for trucks to navigate safely, while many east-west streets remain inaccessible.
Sanitation crews will work through Saturday to make up for missed days, moving on to the next route as soon as a day’s pickup is completed. In some cases, Allbritten said, crews may finish a route earlier than usual because fewer streets are passable.
“For example, it’s possible we’ll finish the Monday route before noon,” he explained. “If that happens, we’ll start on Tuesday’s route after lunch.”
The department is also temporarily relaxing some enforcement rules. While trash can lids are typically required to be fully closed for pickup, Allbritten said that requirement will not be strictly enforced during the recovery period.
However, drivers will not exit their trucks, meaning trash left on the ground will not be collected.
Allbritten urged residents to place trash cans within three feet of the snow-plow line so the truck’s mechanical arm can reach them. Drivers will not be able to move cans closer to the street.
Recycling services
There will be no residential recycling pickup this week. The city’s recycling service will resume next week on an adjusted schedule. Both the north and south routes will be collected on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Normal recycling schedules will resume the following week.
Commercial services
Commercial trash service resumed Wednesday, with priority given to businesses that generate large volumes of waste, such as restaurants with multiple large dumpsters serviced several times a week.
As with residential routes, trucks are only servicing dumpsters that can be safely accessed. Allbritten said some businesses have not cleared their parking lots, while others have piled snow around dumpsters, making them inaccessible.
“These trucks weigh about 40,000 pounds, and weight is not a benefit,” Allbritten said. “They can be on a patch of ice on a hill, sitting still, and start sliding. I’ve seen it happen before. If there’s a lot of snow covering the street or parking lot, they’re not even going to attempt it.”
