JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Theresa Williamson has lived in the Westside on Staple Inn Court for two decades and for over a month trash pickup has been a big problem.
“The recycling is so full that we’re starting to put some of our recycling in regular trash, and we don’t like to do that," said Williamson.
Williamson explained it will be going on six weeks on Monday that her recyclables haven’t been picked up and a month for her yard trash. She says she reached out to the city by calling and emailing them and still no answer.
“My tax dollars are paying for this so why aren’t we getting service and we have an association here. so we’re getting scared that we’re going to get letters for having trash sitting out in front of our yards," said Williamson.
Waste Management Incorporated of Florida is one of the contractors hired by the city.
On Your Side talked with Amy Boyson, the community affairs manager for Waste Management. She says the reason for the trash delay is due to the nationwide labor shortage resulting from the pandemic.
“Waste management is doing a variety of things to address the labor shortage. we improved our compensation by increasing pay, offering sign-on bonuses, offering retention bonuses," said Boyson.
Boyson says currently they have 15 positions open in Jacksonville they need to fill.
Tuesday afternoon, the city council had a meeting that addressed the trash pickup issue. Public Works Director John Pappas said they are aware of the challenges they are experiencing with their solid waste efforts, and they’re finding ways to improve the issue and won’t stop until they do.
The city gave On Your Side a statement regarding the solutions they have in place right now.
“We understand this can be frustrating for customers and we are working on solutions. In the meantime, many City employees in our Solid Waste division are working seven days a week to fill the gaps. We greatly appreciate the patience of our citizens during this time.”
To report a problem, the city of Jacksonville is asking you to please use the MyJax app or https://myjax.custhelp.com/. This is how they track missed pickups and know when to enforce fines against contractors.