City of Bradenton will soon stop picking up recycling from homes. Here’s the new plan
The city of Bradenton on Wednesday approved a major change to waste pickup that turns recycling bins into containers for tree clippings and other yard waste collection instead.
By the beginning of June, the city will move away from curbside recycling pickup. Residents will be asked to bring their recycling materials to one of several drop-off locations throughout Bradenton.
The upcoming changes are the result of a labor shortage that Bradenton’s Solid Waste Division has battled over the past 9 months. Despite approving raises and an incentive program, the city hasn’t had enough staffers to consistently pick up both yard waste and recycling every week.
“The crux of why we’re here is a manpower problem, so something has to change,” said Public Works Director Jim McLellan.
“The big takeaway here is that we’ll be able to reallocate our resources to yard waste and bulk waste,” City Administrator Rob Perry added.
Highlighting the added difficulty of transporting recycling waste to one of the drop-off points, city officials said the planned changes weren’t taken lightly.
“We’re not asking you to ignore that there’s an inconvenience to people. There is. There’s an inconvenience to me, but I’m willing to do it,” Perry said.
Yard waste has been one of the city’s biggest challenges. Employees spend a significant amount of their time collecting massive piles of loose leaves, tree branches and other yard debris. By switching the recycling bins to yard waste containers, city leaders say picking up that material should become much more efficient.
“There are some piles we’ve seen over the past few months that are impossible to pick up by an individual,” Mayor Gene Brown said during a recent public meeting.
Using the recycling bins to hold yard waste, city employees expect to be able to resume collecting those cans on a weekly basis.
The Bradenton City Council voted unanimously Wednesday morning to approve the changes to the recycling and yard waste collection program. Leaders agreed to continue monitoring the situation and to discuss reversing the changes if problems arise.
“This was a tough vote for me, but I feel like we can’t keep going like we are,” said Councilwoman Jayne Kocher. “I think this is going to make us better.”
“If it doesn’t work, I’ll be the first one to get up here and say we’ve got to change it back,” Councilman Bill Sanders added.
The city is planning to launch a major educational outreach program to inform residents about the changes related to yard waste and recycling pickup, including social media posts, utility bill inserts and signage on the digital billboard at the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature.
Bradenton has already ordered 10 tamper-proof recycling containers that will be placed throughout the city. Those locations have not been finalized yet, but city officials say they are willing to purchase additional containers as the program moves forward.
Until the city establishes the recycling drop-off points, residents should continue to recycle like normal using their blue bins. Additional information about yard waste and recycling collection changes will be provided in the coming weeks.
Due to the staffing shortages, yard waste and recycling will continue to be picked up every other week. The schedule is as follows:
- March 7-11: Recycling collection, no yard waste
- March 14-18: Yard waste collection, no recycling
- March 21-25: Recycling collection, no yard waste
