As the city of Birmingham prepares to complete the third and final phase of their new trash cart program, several communities continue to express doubts about the logistics of getting their trash out for pickup.

But city officials say the new trash pickup policies are not as “cut and dry” as they appear.

Residents of some of the city’s hillier areas like Glen Iris and Forest Park expressed concerns at a recent community meeting at Birmingham’s Botanical Garden auditorium. The concerns include that some residents will be unable to lug their new city-issued 96-gallon cans up and down their driveways if the city will only pick up garbage on the streets in front of their homes, according to City Councilor Valerie Abbott.

“I received my can over a year ago as part of the pilot project,” said Forest Park/ South Avondale Neighborhood President Jeff McGee. “It has not been an issue for me. However, if the city does discontinue pick up in the alleys, that will be a big problem in Forest Park / South Avondale due to the terrain of our neighborhood. Getting the cans from the back of many of the houses will be almost impossible.”

In the case of one man who spoke at the meeting, carrying his cart out to the road for pickup would involve traversing a set of 57 steps on the way down and back up, Abbott said.