Illegal dumping mushrooms if neighbors do not collectively leverage Metro response to them

Illegal dumping of furniture, tires, demolition debris, etc. is something we used to have to deal with much more in Salemtown a few years ago, but we still get it periodically on vacant lots and near alleys. Much has changed with the improvement of quality of life here and because of the coordinated efforts of the associations.

A South Nashville blogger is dealing with the problem to a more chronic degree and reminds us that action coordination matters:

there is one spot, a stone's throw from my house, that just seems to be prime real estate for slackers who don't care to haul their unwanted furniture to the dump.

It took me staring at one pile for several months and saying to myself, "I wish someone would take care of that," before I realized that I could take care of that ....

I know this situation is not unique to my street. So I wanted to alert those like me who may not have realized how easy it is to report unwelcome piles of trash in your area. The number for Public Works is 615.862.8750. Click here to visit their website.

Another option is to coordinate a walk-through with police and codes officials to document conditions beyond dumping. Salemtown leaders accomplished that task last year and police even followed up at association meetings afterwards to report how conditions had been fixed. I believe associations get better response when they coordinate their efforts like this. There is strength in numbers.