St. Augustine residents facing delays to trash pickup

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Residents in St. Johns County may notice delays to trash and yard debris pickup. The announcement came on Monday, as city leaders say they’ve faced a few challenges they didn’t see coming.

“We haven’t really had any issues as far as missed days of service, like other communities have,” Utilities Director Todd Grant said. “Just recently, we’ve had staffing shortages. On top of that, if you have staff that is out because they’re sick -- it creates a staffing problem just to run the trucks.”

Grant said when trucks are down for maintenance issues, that also adds to the problem.

If your trash wasn’t picked up Monday, you were asked to leave it on the curb on Tuesday. If your scheduled pickup is on Tuesday and it’s missed, leave it on the curb on Wednesday. This pattern will continue until equipment and staff are back in service and available, the city says.

“Our staff is very very dedicated,” Grant said. “Our customer service is bar none. “So just patience. Say hello to them. Thank them. They’re doing a load of 12-hour days just to try to keep up the level of service.”

To catch up on the delays, yard debris will not be collected Wednesday, May 4. The city says that service will resume next Wednesday, May 11.

“I think we all understand that times are crazy,” St. Augustine resident Jay Jubert said. “So we’re doing the best we can.”

City staff shared that on a particular day, the city services about 3,000 customers, and a normal truck picks up 700-800 houses.

“We pride ourselves on impeccable service and have been able to provide uninterrupted services even while we have seen our neighboring communities struggle,” Grant said. “However, we are not immune to those same challenges of equipment problems and workforce reliability.”

If you have any questions, you can contact Grant at 904-315-8499 or via email at tgrant@citystaug.com.

“The service has been wonderful,” Jubert said. “They wave. They talk to you.”

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