ACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As Jacksonville locals continue to have to lug their recyclables to city drop-off sites, other cities like St. Augustine Beach have successfully brought back curbside recycling.
St. Augustine Beach resident Patrick Shipley is glad he no longer has to take his recyclables to the site. He’d been doing it since early October when the city did away with curbside recycling because of staffing shortages.
But on Monday, the service resumed.
“It was one of the nicest things that happens here, and all of our recycle, our disposal, lawn pickup and all of that. We’re really excited to see it come back,” Shipley explained.
Action News Jax asked city leaders in St. Augustine Beach how they managed to bring the service back; we’ll update this story with a response.
Other cities like Jacksonville and St. Augustine still have curbside recycling on hold. Action News Jax asked both cities when they’d bring back services.
The city of Jacksonville offered this response:
“While we have made substantial progress since pausing curbside recycling, our contract haulers are still having difficulty finding licensed workers, and they are still understaffed. This is the case with many industries across the country. We understand this is frustrating for our citizens and appreciate their patience during this challenging time. It’s our goal to resume curbside recycling as soon as possible.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Fernandina Beach announced recycling routes changed in one neighborhood near Fernandina Beach High School. The city announced beginning the 14th, normal pickup will change from Tuesday to Friday.
As for Shipley, he’s just glad the service is back in St. Augustine Beach.
”It’s always important to recycle. You don’t the stuff going in the wrong place and ruining nature,” he said.
Although curbside recycling has resumed in St. Augustine Beach, the dumpsters will stay at City Hall through the end of the month.
