.jpg)
Wlaf1450
By SUSAN SHARP
LAFOLLETTE, TN. (WLAF)- A letter sent to LaFollette residents has some of them raising a stink.
On Aug. 17, LaFollette officials mailed a letter to city residents instructing them to remove the garbage bins in front of their homes. The bins, or corrals, have become an issue for the city following injuries to public works employees and rats starting to gather at them, according to Stan Foust, LaFollette city administrator.
The bins are also placed in the city right of way, Foust said.
Residents have been instructed to move the bins behind their homes to rectify this issue.
Not all residents have bins, Director of Public Works Casey Boshears said. But the ones being used have created problems. Most are DIY projects that are made from everything from metal to wood pallets, Foust said. The three to four foot structures also lack doors forcing public works employees to lift the bags, even when they exceed the 75 pound weight limit.
However, this is not the only issue.
The city picks up garbage five days a week but on different routes each day. Some people with these types of containers are allowing garbage to remain in the bins for a week after the area’s pick up. This creates two issues: rats and odor.
In the west end of LaFollette, residents were not using trash cans opting to place raw garbage in the bins. This resulted in a colony of rats moving into the neighborhood, Boshears said. The colony was eradicated with the help of the LaFollette Police, he said.
In a letter to WLAF, LaFollette resident Randy Patterson expressed concerns with the city’s edict.
Bears were one of the issues he raised. Having the bins moved behind the home places “a potential wildlife attractant closer to the home, backyard, children and pets.” Exactly what ordinance details the city’s directive, Patterson asked in his letter.
Where the bins are placed will not deter wildlife, according to Foust. The garbage that remains in the bins for multiple days or is just tossed in without a bag is what attracts wildlife, he said.
Patterson questioned if the city wants residents to use a “particular type of garbage container” would they provide it?
The request to move the bins from the right of way and use a container that is “durable, rodent and insect proof,” per the city’s codes, Foust said. This is nothing new, people are being asked to follow the code, which is 17-104, he said.
Residents were given seven days to remove the bins, the letter said.
The code outlining garbage refuse and trash disposal can be found HERE.
(WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED 8/25/2026-6AM)