Changes coming to Sevier County convenience centers

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (WATE) — Big changes are coming to Sevier County in the way residents are asked to dispose of their trash.  Starting Monday, only Sevier County residents will be allowed to dispose of trash at convenience centers, and will be limited to 5 bags per day.

According to the county, the high volume of short-term rental garbage has caused operating issues at residential convenience centers. On Monday, short-term cleaners will be directed to Center View Multipurpose Convenience Center and will be charged a fee based on how much they are disposing.

While that opens more space for residents, one of the centers in Pigeon Forge will temporarily close.

“I was a little bit devastated,” said Sevier county resident Beth Griffin. “I come here about 2 to 3 times a week from out in Wears Valley, and I thought, well, what am I going to do?”

The Pigeon Forge Convenience Center is set to close September first in hopes to build a facility to better fit the community. But for many residents, this is the only way to dispose of their waste

“The county, they have no pickup. We’ve even called private companies to come pick our trash up, but they won’t do it. So now, you know, every Friday I get the dogs, put them in the car, and we come to the dump,” said another Sevier County resident, Mike Miller.

Even when it is an option, it can be a safety hazard. Griffin recalls when bears broke into her neighbor’s trash.

“They actually broke into his truck, in the middle of the night, and that was – you know it was the garbage was in his tuck, it wasn’t actually on the street but if it’s on the street it even easier to get to,” she said.

Now, those living in Pigeon Forge will need to travel to White School’s center, the nearest convenience center in Sevierville.

“It really puts me out because now I have to find another one close to the house in the traffic. You know how the traffic is here to get around. So I got to leave my house on Walden Creek and come down here. Now I have to go somewhere else to dump my trash, and, you know, it’s really an inconvenience,” said Miller.

It is unknown when the center is set to reopen.

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