ST. LOUIS — The City of St. Louis is resuming alleyway recycling pick-up this week after being put on pause for months.
The reason for the pause was two-fold: a driver shortage and a lack of mechanics to fix trucks.
The city hired nine more drivers and a mechanical contractor to make sure the trucks keep working. Its adopted a new approach too.
Through data, the city is able to see which routes are taking in more solid waste than others. This means some routes will see pick-ups twice a week rather than once.
The streets department will continue to analyze the overall refuse data on a consistent basis and will make operational adjustments as necessary.
Reaction
In south city, Abby Fischer manages more than just her stores.
She's used to breaking down dozens of boxes as new shipments come in daily.
"On a busy week, we can go from 60-90 boxes of varying sizes," she said.
Before throwing it away, she likes to reuse. But when that's not enough, it's time to recycle.
Fortunately for her, she works with a private recycling company.
However, the same can't be said for residents in the neighborhood.
"I hadn't realize until a few weeks ago that they weren't recycling that, which was a shame," said Fischer, who also lives in the area.
Jared Opsal, Executive Director of the Missouri Coalition for the Environment, was worried about the impact.
"We were obviously very concerned. As an organization we reached out and worked with the city how can help and hopefully to be the solution," Opsal said.
"That's going to have an impact on how much is going to the landfill and how much to the overall system and how much we need to source and create new product rather than using what's already there and available to use. It's a great win for the people and the environment here in the city of St. Louis," he added.
Ways to recycle
It's important to remember what to recycle and what not to
A good reminder is to "stick with the six":
- paper
- flattened cardboard
- plastic bottles
- metal food or beverage cans
- glass bottles
- cartons
Plastic bags and wraps are not accepted in the blue bins.
Remember to keep items loose, clean, and dry.
A spokesperson for the city of St. Louis said the holiday and the amount of students moving out this week may have caused some bumps on the road but as of next week, they will have secured routes.
As far as preventing this from happening again, the city continues to work to attract drivers for to the Refuse division with a $3,000 hiring bonus for new drivers.