A city in Tennessee has launched a waste management program designed to help keep wildlife out of trash cans. However, the program's steep asking price is facing a growing amount of backlash from frustrated residents.   

As reported by WCYB, Kingsport is offering residents the chance to rent wildlife-resistant garbage carts for $20 a month. The city has ordered 100 of the carts that are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The move is an effort to address an ongoing issue with animals finding their way into traditional trash cans. 

Rodney Deel, solid waste manager for Kingsport, emphasized the importance of the new program. "In certain areas where there is more of a wildlife population, you go through on trash day and you can see several cans that animals got into, and it's scattered in people's yard and stuff like that, so if you have this difficulty, this is a solution for you," Deel said, per WCYB.

Wildlife-resistant garbage carts are designed to prevent animals, particularly bears and raccoons, from accessing the trash kept inside. These carts often feature more durable construction, equipped with reinforced lids and specialized locking mechanisms that are easy for humans to operate but difficult or impossible for wildlife to open. 

Despite the notable benefits of the wildlife-resistant garbage carts, some residents felt that the cost was just too much for the service provided. After the program was first announced last October, residents took to social media to question the reasoning behind the program's price point. 

"I'd be curious to know what justifies the additional $20 a month. I understand if the city is asking for residents to pay for an upgrade but a flat fee would seem more appropriate," wrote one Kingsport resident on Facebook.  

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"Well I'm not paying the city $240 a year for it. We are already paying too much for their services. I'll just keep securing my old one thanks," wrote another resident. 

This isn't the first time that the city has sparked controversy regarding its trash collection policies. In 2016, the Kingsport Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved an $8 per month trash collection fee that was required for all its residents. While the fee included trash pickup, the city announced that residents would have to pay another $8 for each additional trash can used during collection.

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