Republic Services ramping up staffing in preparation for return of curbside recycling services

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — With the city of Jacksonville returning to curbside recycling in April, Republic Services is busily preparing for the expected increase in the flow of recyclables headed its way.

The past two years have been a rollercoaster. During the pandemic, general manager Bill Brinkley says Republic upped pay from $11 to $13 dollars an hour to bring in more workers. But during the suspension of curbside services, Republic decreased staff as demand went down. Now, it’s ramping up again.

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“(We are) trying to stay ahead of the demand,” Brinkley said in a January interview with Action News Jax.

Leaders with Republic Services met Wednesday to figure out how to increase staff in anticipation of many more plastic containers and aluminum cans entering their plant.

Brinkley told Action News Jax in January that Republic is constantly recruiting as well as working to keep its current employees.

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“Our leadership team does a very good job in taking care of the needs of their employees and we’ll continue to do that,” he said.

Overall, the biggest challenge is keeping a robust staff. Brinkley is grateful for Republic’s workers.

“It’s a tough job, it’s a very hard job,” Brinkley said. “We take very good care of our employees, but we have to constantly be recruiting and be ready for the season.”

Action News Jax has been speaking with Republic. The team is working on their plan, and say they’ll share the results of the meeting once everything is ironed out.

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