Jacksonville levies tens of thousands of dollars in fines against trash haulers

3 years ago 288

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The metropolis has received thousands of complaints from residents, galore of whom archer the I-TEAM they are fed up paying for a work they are not receiving connected time.

We’ve discovered that successful conscionable the period of August, the metropolis received 9,008 complaints astir gait discarded pick-up delays. That’s astir 700 much complaints than were received successful July.

The metropolis has repeatedly told News4Jax that, similar galore industries crossed the country, that the haulers who work definite parts of the region are experiencing staffing shortages.

Eddie Couillard said the metropolis needs to bash more.

“A hold is simply a week, 10 days. When it’s 2 months, astir 3 months, that’s not a delay. That’s ignoring the problem,” Couillard said.

Couillard walked america down his thoroughfare connected Proxima roadworthy wherever we recovered respective of his neighbors with gait trash helium said had been sitting for respective weeks.

He said he’s had to wage to dump his gait discarded astatine a installation successful Green Cove Springs during the past 3 months to debar a ample heap from gathering extracurricular his location connected the Westside.

We besides recovered a heap extracurricular Fannie Tensley’s home. She lives a fewer miles distant connected London Bridge Road.

“It’s been present for astir 3 weeks,” she said. “My gait antheral did my yard. He enactment it retired here. He told maine erstwhile helium enactment it determination that they’ve not been picking it up.”

Tensley said she is frustrated to beryllium paying for a work that is not being provided connected clip and said immoderate of her neighbors person been waiting longer than she has for their gait discarded to beryllium collected.

The ITEAM has received respective calls and emails from each implicit municipality astir gait discarded delays. Most recently, we person received complaints astir delays connected these streets:

Yard discarded delays person accrued steadily. The metropolis said it received 8,361 complaints successful July. Last month, the fig accrued to 9,008.

City Councilwoman Randy DeFoor, who represents District 14 which includes immoderate of the Westside, said she has called the metropolis regular to complain. She said she has tried to assistance arsenic galore of her constituents arsenic possible, including 67 who person contacted her since June 17. They unrecorded successful 25 antithetic parts of her district.

The city’s coagulated discarded part services the municipality halfway but hires 3 backstage haulers to work the remainder of the county:

Advanced Disposal - Westside
Republic Services - North and eastbound portions of Duval County
Waste Pro - services neighborhoods successful the southeast information of Duval County

The metropolis has fined each 3 haulers for trash, recycling and gait discarded delays. Here’s however it breaks down:

Advanced Disposal Services: $62,400 good successful July 2021
SWS - Republic Services: $1,150 good successful July 2021
Waste Pro: $116,425 good successful July 2021

Many customers archer america they don’t recognize wherefore their trash and recycling is collected, but not their gait waste. Why not cod everything per street? Others archer america they consciousness similar different parts of municipality are receiving preferential treatment.

The metropolis said gait discarded takes up much country successful the truck, which is wherefore it whitethorn not beryllium collected arsenic routinely among haulers who are short-staffed.

Our petition for an interrogation with the manager of Public Works and Mayor Lenny Curry was declined. But the mayor’s bureau said it has brought successful further assistance to enactment the haulers who are experiencing staffing shortages.

A spokesperson told america metropolis coagulated discarded employees person been moving 7 days a week to cod discarded and metropolis workers successful different departments person besides been asked to help, particularly those who person commercialized driver’s licenses and tin legally thrust discarded postulation trucks.

“Believe it oregon not, different metropolis employees successful peculiar firefighters are filling successful for drivers,” City Councilman Matt Carlucci said Monday connected The Morning Show. “So we’re utilizing metropolis employees, assemblage employees, sanitation workers 7 days a week And we person a caller hauler coming connected which is amended staffed and that should beryllium a help.”

News4Jax reported Saturday that Meridian Waste volition instrumentality implicit trash and recycling work for Republic Services connected Oct. 1.

WATCH: Full TMS interrogation with Councilman Carlucci

The I-TEAM has besides heard that fluctuations successful wages offered to incentivize much applicants has caused existent discarded collectors to resign and enactment for different haulers that work antithetic parts of town, creating an imbalance of staffing. This whitethorn beryllium the crushed definite parts of the region are experiencing much delays than others.

If you are having a occupation with discarded postulation successful Duval county, here’s however to study it: MyJax app, Myjax.custhelp.com oregon telephone 630-CITY (2489).

Read Entire Article