JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – This week marks four months since the city suspended curbside recycling in Jacksonville, and many people are upset -- ready for it to come back.
On Monday night, there was a town hall meeting at the West Branch Library, hosted by City Councilman Matt Carlucci. He wants to hear firsthand from the community.
“We’re paying for it and we’re not getting what we’re paying for,” said Jacksonville resident Dan Morrison, who attended the meeting.
Jacksonville originally suspended curbside recycling to allow contract and city haulers to catch up on garbage services. Councilmen said Monday night that they’re still not caught up on those services.
“It was important for city council to go to the hardest hit areas to explain what the truth is,” Carlucci said.
And the truth, he said, is there aren’t enough drivers.
“It’s a labor market issue, not enough drivers, because we’re not paying them enough,” he said.
The city is now looking at options, including the possibility of doing away with the entire $152 garbage fee, which was brought up during a special Jacksonville City Council workshop earlier this month. If the fee that homeowners pay annually is removed, the city would then pay all garbage pickup costs out of its regular budget.
Carlucci has said in the past that he’s not sure getting rid of the garbage fee is the answer.
An online petition on Change.org is calling for the city to bring back curbside recycling. As of Monday night, it had gathered more than 2,300 signatures.
Anne-Marie Tucker, with Co2nsequences Inc., said she and her son started the petition.
“We’re constantly sending it to Mayor Lenny Curry’s office to let him know,” Tucker said.
Tucker says she is renting a U-Haul to help bring some people’s recyclables from the Kensington community to the recycling drop-off sites.