Trash woes continue piling up months after curbside recycling suspension

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Tree limbs, grass clippings, and leaf piles continue to grow in an Argyle Forest neighborhood, now 10 weeks since the suspension of curbside recycling.

Mayor Lenny Curry announced the service would be paused temporarily so crews could dedicate resources to yard waste and garbage pickup.

Mark Magnant said he hasn’t noticed any major difference.

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“People just don’t know what to do with their stuff,” he explained. “Moisture gets into them and it can get pretty ugly.”

Action News Jax asked the City of Jacksonville for missed pickups since curbside recycling was suspended Oct. 4.

In the first week there 2,654 missed yard waste pickups. This past week, there were 309. The city said the numbers indicate the change is working.

“The temporary solution to suspend curbside recycling is working. We have made substantial progress and are encouraged by these improvements. Regardless, we understand this is frustrating for our citizens and appreciate their patience during this challenging time,” a representative said in a statement. “It’s our goal to get recycling back as soon as we can but after speaking with our contractors this week, they are still having difficulty finding licensed workers and are still understaffed, as are many industries across the country.”

Magnant and other tax-paying neighbors said they are frustrated paying for both yard waste and recycling pickup, but aren’t receiving the service.

“Either take the trash away, or give me my money back and I’ll figure something else out to do with the trash,” Magnant said.

The city has set up 15 temporary recycling drop off locations which are collected at least once a day.

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Action News Jax told you in October when some of the drop-off sites overflowed. The city said those problems have since disappeared and the city is sending in extra crews to cleanup after garbage trucks pick up recycling.

Clay County also suspended recycling services in August, and reports its yard waste and solid waste pickup is back on track. We reached out to see if there are any plans to bring back recycling services and are waiting for a response.

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