Thank you, city of Soddy Daisy governing officials, for the new trash service, even though on May 9, the Chattanoogan reported that we, the taxpayers of Soddy Daisy, would keep the same service and would be given a new trash can in addition to the services provided. 

Imagine my shock when my wife called and said that only the new trash cans' weekly trash was picked up today. I called Soddy Daisy City Hall, where a very delightful civil servant informed me that we were only allowed 95 gallons of trash per week and that the citizens of Soddy Daisy had become “spoiled” because the precedent and practice since I moved to Soddy Daisy six years ago was that we provided the can or cans and set the trash out on the designated day it got picked up.  It has been this way as long as I have lived in Soddy Daisy. 

After being told that I was one of the “spoiled citizens”, I looked into what the provision for trash service were on Soddy Daisy’s Official Webpage and I found what I originally found when I relocated to Soddy Daisy and it is that there are ample references to “cans”, plural, meaning more than one, as long as they fit the parameters established.  Nowhere does it say the maximum amount of trash is 95 gallons, but it references that no trash cans, again plural, meaning more than one, can be larger than 95 gallons. 

The article about this “same trash service” says I can purchase an additional can for $7.25 or continue using the ones I currently own, as long as they are compatible with the trash trucks.  Which they have been for the previous six years. 

My question is: how is this the “same” trash service if it has changed? Accountability, effectiveness, efficiency, and transparency are what citizens want from the governing officials who represent them.  Contracting out trash service is effective and cost-efficient when you factor in the costs of trash trucks, maintenance, and other overhead. 

What is not politically feasible is calling your citizens spoiled. What is not transparent is when the procedures change without notification.  Accountability would mean that the elected elite admit that the process has changed, that the website is not current, and that they utilize the funding we, the taxpayers, provide, and come pick up the trash in the same manner as always.

- On the City Website - Garbage Can Requirements

“Residents are responsible for providing their own trash cans with a capacity of greater than 20 gallons but no more than 95 gallons, constructed of plastic, metal or fiberglass.  All cans must have a tight-fitting, or attached lid capable of preventing entrance into the container by pests, and the mouth of the container shall have a diameter greater than or equal to that of the base” (City of Soddy Daisy, 2026).  

- Chattanoogan Article - Soddy Daisy Keeping Same Garbage Collection Service

“The city of Soddy Daisy bids out garbage collection services each time a contract expires. The current contract was for five years and the city and its residents were happy with the services and responsiveness it has received from Capital Waste Services during that time. Two companies submitted bids for the contract going forward and the lowest bid again came from Capital Waste for the next five years. 

"This contract includes providing a new component with large capacity, 96-gallon cans for each residence. The new price is a two-and a half percent increase from the cost currently being paid. If a resident needs a second can the company will provide it for an additional $7.25 per month, or the homeowner can use their own as long as it is compatible with the equipment on the trucks. The garbage cans will be delivered to each residence by July 1 when the new contract begins.”

Jeff Miller