Goodlettsville residents experience trash pick-up pains

GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - The ongoing heatwave is making an already smelly problem even worse for neighbors in the Goodlettsville area.

According to customers, more than 2,000 homes that use Kleen Way Disposal for their trash pickup have been waiting days and even weeks for their cans to be emptied. As a result, many garbage bags are now sitting on the ground next to overflowing cans waiting to be picked up.

“I don’t like having trash out there, especially when they are not in the trash can,” customer Melvin Fletcher said. “This is our first home, and my wife takes pride in her front yard and everything. Having the trash sit out front just aggravates her.”

Fletcher said he has waited up to two weeks to have his trash collected in recent months, and calls to Kleen Way asking for a pickup have gone unanswered.

Kleen Way Disposal owner Jim Gulley declined an on-camera interview opportunity for this story but did tell WSMV 4 over the phone that the small company is dealing with a significant driver shortage that has caused the overflowing trash cans.

Gulley said they are working double shifts this week in hopes of eliminating the backup by the end of this weekend. If they cannot do that, he said the company might have to cut down on the number of customers they serve.

“They were supposed to hire more people because they were shorthanded,” Fletcher said. “I thought they had, but I don’t know if they stayed or not.”

“When it did get too bad, the owner did come by and pick it up with his truck,” Fletcher said.

Up and down Fletcher’s road sit stuffed trash cans now attracting bugs and other animals. He said the growing mounds of garbage are also creating safety issues for drivers along the busy highway. While Fletcher said he understands the labor issue, he wants the trash bags to be collected promptly.

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