Duval County

Jacksonville mayor: City considers suspending recycling pickup to get caught up on waste collection

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said the city might temporarily pause recycling pickup until it gets caught up with yard waste pickup.

Curry said the city is considering the move so it can focus its resources on yard waste pickup.

Action News Jax told you Tuesday that the city is considering using $4M in federal relief money to control yard waste pileup.

JACKSONVILLE RESIDENTS: Click here to file a waste collection issue request.

In a statement to Action News Jax, the city confirmed, “We are working on several solutions to address the delays in solid waste pickup and as soon as we are ready to implement those solutions, we will utilize the funding for those services.”

Complaints have also piled up. The city received its largest number of complaints in August about yard waste woes.

  • April: 5,077
  • May: 4,793
  • June: 4,312
  • July: 8,361
  • August: 9,008

As of Sept. 15, the city received 4,328 complaints, which is on track to come close to August’s total.

Action News Jax has previously reported in April the pileup is partially due to the nationwide labor shortage.

An Action News Jax investigation in August revealed the city of Jacksonville was hiring a new garbage contractor.

Neighboring Clay County has also had trash collection issues. In unincorporated areas of the county, recycling collection was suspended beginning on August 16.

The City of St. Augustine Beach said a shortage in its workforce forced it to suspend recycling services starting Monday, Oct. 4.

In Southeast Georgia, Camden County notified its residents at the beginning of August they could see a delay in recycling pickup.

Action News Jax’s Ben Becker will have more details on the potential move on CBS47 Action News Jax at Noon.

VIDEO: Action News Jax Investigates: Jacksonville dumps trash hauler amid thousands of complaints and missed pickups