Illegal dumping on Riverside Drive
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Complaints have been pouring in to Metro City Council members and officials at the Metro Department of Public Works.
The complaints are about illegal dumping up and down Riverside Drive in East Nashville and parts of Inglewood.
According to Gwen Hopkins at the Public Works Department; “The medians along Riverside seem to be a magnet for people to leave stuff behind, and the residents (understandably so) get tired of it. This has been an ongoing problem, and one which we are frustrated about, as well.”
Hopkins says catching the culprits in the act is difficult so they are asking citizens to be more vigilant. If dumping is seen, officials say get a tag number of the offender and report it to authorities.
According to Hopkins, Public Works conducts alley cleaning 9 times a year, and brush trucks come through neighborhoods three times per year. In addition, she says the agency responds to complaints.
Hopkins tells messed up that over the last 12 months (May 2008 - present), the Department of Public Works responded some 80 times to complaints involving properties along Riverside Drive.
Councilman Erik Cole represents that District.
Cole says one of the top complaints he gets is dumping in the median along Riverside Drive.
“We have a gorgeous median. It’s really nice. It is a natural asset in the community. But people regularly dump there. We clean it up. We get the city to cut the grass. We plant trees. We have no dumping signs. As soon as we pick this up, it comes back and it is commercial haulers and folks who don’t live on this street who use this median as their trash can, and it is ridiculous.”
Cole says the fine for those who are caught is up to 500 dollars.
Cole says he, the police and the public works department encourage citizens who witness dumping to report it, to document it, to be more vigilant.
I agree with Councilman Cole. If you see illegal dumping, please report it. You can call the councilman, or you can leave the information on the Messed Up Web Site and we’ll make sure it gets to the appropriate officials.
I submit that since dumping is illegal anywhere in the city that “No dumping” signs just give the “dumpers” the idea that where the sign is might be a convenient place to dump. While it may not be high up on the crime lists the only way to discourage dumping is to put surveillance on the area and prosecute those who are caught dumping. Publicizing the information about dumpers caught and convicted might help.
Thank you for doing this story on the dumping on Riverside Drive. I am glad
someone finally decided to do this story. I live on Riverside, just not on
the median part but I have to travel this everyday and look at how bad it
looks. I contact somebody weekly but have had no luck in getting it cleaned
up. This bunch of brush and trash has been there over 6 or 8 weeks. Every
time I call they tell me they will get right on it, but they don’t. Maybe
your story will get them out here to pick it up. I have seen snakes and
rodents coming out of the brush. I also noticed that Mr. Cole did not
mention that Riverside Drive is also a Memorial Drive to Korean War
veterans. There are markers telling about this at both ends of Riverside
Drive. Thanks again for your story.
I have a suggestion:: take the median out and make the road wider or turn the median into a turning lane…this would put a stop to it. Some people will say…”This is expensive” I have to wonder how much money over the years has been spent cleaning up this mess all the time.
As a newcomer to Nashville, it’s surprising to see this beautiful city with
such “rubbish” on the side of so many streets. The “rubbish” I’m speaking
of, is the yard waste of piled tree limbs and brush. While driving around
with our realtor looking for our home, we made the comment, “there must
have been a storm.” Living here almost three years now, we see the “real”
storm…people not caring about their land or the look of their community.
Not only are the piles unsightly, they pose a safety concern. Often the
limbs lie in piles with branches jutting into the street, which you must
steer clear of while driving. Too often I see homeowners placing piles on
sidewalks as well. This forces walkers, bikers, and joggers to deviate
into the middle of the street into traffic! If people would simply
dispose of their yard debris weekly or transport them to a recycling
center, the piles would not have to sit along the street for such long
periods. Why must people put their yard waste out months in advance of the
scheduled date of the Public Works pick up date? Why can’t folks break it
up by hand, buy a saw, or have their dog chew it up and just THROW it
away!!?? Many people use a container in other parts of the country called a
TRASH CAN. We don’t keep our garbage out for months and months, why keep our
branches and limbs out for that long? City council, please pass a bill to
seize and desist on tree limbs being piled to the sky. Keep our city
beautiful!
Dear Kate,
Because of how Public Works which picks up the limbs, residents get a “window” of when they will be in your area. If the limbs are not out when the truck drives by you don’t get your tree limbs picked up until the next “window”. Those with trucks could drive them to the mulch facility in North Nashville. However they charge us to drop off the tree limbs there. Recycling centers don’t take tree limbs. Should residents keep limbs off sidewalks, you bet. As one person has a pile of tree limbs waiting pickup I am happy to know you won’t be moving on my block. For more information on how public works picks up tree limbs take a look at :
http://www.nashville.gov/Recycle/pdfs/brushflyer.pdf
BTW Kate, We only get three pickup windows a year on brush. After heavy storms the city will put crews out in the most affected areas.
john bailey
i saw your story on the dumping on riverside dr. the one thing you didn’t
mention was that the east side hasn’t seen a chipper truck sence Mayor
Purcell left office. some of these debris have been where thier at for two
years!
The way I see it, the Metro government technically owns this property and therefore Metro govt should be held to its own codes that we all must live under :
From the Metro Nashville Codes - Section 10.24.070 - Litter on private property–Responsibilities of owners.
The owner or person in control of any private property shall at all times maintain the premises free of litter. Provided, however, that this section shall not prohibit the storage of litter in authorized private receptacles for collection.
So just like us tax-paying citizens, if you can’t prevent the litter (which is of course illegal) it is still law that it is your responsibility to “AT ALL TIMES maintain the premises free of litter.”
If Metro does not have the budget to properly care for the median then they shouldn’t have obtained it in the first place and if that is the case maybe they should consider other ownership options. They can’t take of stormwater run-off on this street either for what it’s worth. And Debra, I just have to say that replacing the median with a paved turning lane is the worst solution I’ve heard for so many reasons.
My two cents…