Is your yard waste piling up? These 4 new drop-off locations in Bradenton may help
As truck driver shortages continue, the city of Bradenton announced four drop-off locations for residents to dispose of their yard waste.
City officials say drivers will still work to pick up yard waste once every two weeks, but the new drop-off locations will allow residents to get rid of their yard waste, such as tree limbs and lawn clippings, faster than the temporary schedule allows.
The four yard waste drop-off sites are now available at the following locations:
- Cordova Lakes, 38th Avenue West and 61st Street West
- Wares Creek, in the 17th Avenue West Park parking lot
- Braden River Lakes/River Isles, at the east end of Oakleaf Boulevard
- 13th Avenue Dream Center, 922 24th Street East, at the southern end of the parking lot
Rob Perry, Bradenton’s city administrator, and Public Works Director Jim McLellan pitched the plan to City Council in a public meeting last week. If residents are willing to bring their yard waste to the sites, it could relieve some of the pressure on the short-staffed public works department.
Bradenton has struggled to hire and maintain truck drivers as part of a nationwide shortage. The City Council recently voted to approve an incentive program that rewards drivers for staying employed with the city.
While the drop-off sites are meant as a temporary solution, city leaders have also discussed raising the pay for public works employees in order to compete with private companies that offer better wages. In the meantime, any help residents can provide will be welcome.
“Not everyone’s going to be able to do it, but if the ones that can do it help us out a little bit, we can move forward,” said Mayor Gene Brown.
Signs will be placed on the containers and the sites will be monitored by city staff throughout the day. According to a press release, the sites are not to be used for commercial/contractor dumping. For more information, visit www.CityOfBradenton.com/news.
