JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Action News Jax continues to investigate trash pickup delays in neighborhoods across Jacksonville.
Neighbors on the westside said their recycling and yard waste collection has been skipped over for several weeks now.
INVESTIGATES: Neighbors on Sudbury Avenue tell me their recycling bins have been sitting out for weeks with no pickup. Now, some bins are literally overflowing. I’m working to learn just how many similar complaints/requests have been made over all Jacksonville. pic.twitter.com/dysiTw1AFO
— Gretchen Kernbach (@GretchenK_TV) September 15, 2021
“(I’m) upset, pissed off,” Joyce Simmons said.
That’s how Sudbury Avenue resident Joyce Simmons feels after her entire street’s recycling collection has missed weeks of pickup. Everywhere you look there are yellow bins sitting out and piling up, as well as yard waste.
“There’s no more to put no more in there. We just have to put it on the side of the ground,” Simmons said.
It’s the same story for neighbors down the street.
“It’s causing a lot of inconveniences that you wouldn’t even think about,” neighbor Aimee DeSorbo said.
“Something needs to be done about this,” neighbor Andre Dames said.
These complaints don’t stand alone.
We asked the City of Jacksonville how many service requests have been made through the My Jax portal for missed waste collection.
Since Aug. 1, there have been 14,676 active requests.
Most requests fall under Advanced Disposal’s designated pickup areas. That’s where more than 9,451 active requests lie, mostly pertaining to recycling and yard waste.
Simmons admitted she didn’t know how to file a request, so we showed her how.
Click here to file a waste collection issue request.
When you get to the site, you select “Waste Collection” and fill out the requested information, including your exact address, which service was missed, and a brief description of the problem.
When you submit your request, you’re given a link to monitor your request and an estimated completion date.
Simmons was given September 17, 2021, as her estimated completion date.
The city said it hopes all dates are met but with the services being challenged right now, haulers are doing their best to complete them in a timely manner.
The entire statement provided by the city is below:
“As is still the case with a multitude of industries across the country, private solid waste companies are struggling to find and keep employees. The companies we contract with have expressed difficulty with being properly staffed and tell us that is leading to delayed pickups. This has been an ongoing issue. We continue to see a large increase in yard waste which causes trucks to fill up faster than in the winter months. Regardless, 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, please use the MyJax app or Myjax.custhelp.com. Citizens can also call 904-630-CITY (2489) but may experience wait times. This is how we track missed pickups and know when to enforce fines against contractors.”
Estimated Completion Dates are assigned by the MyJax system and are simply that – an estimated date as to when the ticket will be resolved. It is our hope that all dates are met or completed sooner than the Estimated Completion Date, but as you are aware, solid waste services are extremely challenged right now and the City and the haulers are doing the best they can to address all solid waste tickets in a timely manner.”
An entire breakdown of active waste collection service requests can be found below.
Action News Jax reached out to Advanced Disposal for comment, but the local office said it was unable to give us one.
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