Curbside Recycling Collection Eliminated In Bradenton

BRADENTON, FL — Bradenton city commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to eliminate its curbside recycling collection.

Instead, the city will now offer 10 recycling convenience centers located throughout Bradenton, according to a city news release. Clean recyclables can be dropped off at these sites. Eventually, additional recycling centers will be established throughout the city.

The goal is “to create a more robust recycling program that produces consistently cleaner loads of recyclable materials,” the city said.

Recycling and other solid waste collection changes will take effect by early summer.

Bradenton’s curbside recycling program has faced numerous challenges, including “a debilitating lack of manpower and a staggering rate of residential recycling deemed ‘contaminated,’” the city said.

For months, a staffing shortage has impacted all garbage, yard waste and recycling pick-up in the city of Bradenton.

Without enough CDL drivers — an issue plaguing the industry across the country — the city was forced to alternate weekly yard waste and recycling pick-up starting in July.

Recycled materials can become contaminated when collections from separate houses are dumped in the same trucks and risk being sent to the landfill instead of processed at the recycling plant, the city said.

The new recycling drop-off centers will feature large, locked recycling containers with cardboard slots and ports for recyclable goods. These centers will be placed in safe and convenient places around the city and will be accessible 24 hours a day.

City leaders hope that Bradenton will receive cleaner, uncontaminated goods at these centers.

“Citizens who choose to continue recycling at the convenience centers are more likely to contribute clean recyclable goods, and the loads are much more likely to be uncontaminated,” the city said.

“We feel that this novel approach will actually help us to grow the level of clean recycling in our city,” said City Administrator Rob Perry. “The goal is to help our citizens understand how to do to it correctly using our convenience centers. We believe this will be a largely successful effort.”

The change in recycling frees up recycling staff to help with yard waste collection, which will change, too, after other recent council action put the “3 Bs” yard waste policy into effect. This policy reminds residents that yard waste should be bagged, bungled or in the blue bins supplied to households and formerly used for recycling.

Twigs and small limbs must be bundled in neat piles of no more than 6 feet long and 2 feet high and placed for curbside pickup, and grass cuttings, leaves, and small clippings can be placed in the blue bin or a bag and placed at the curb. Palm fronds of any size will be picked up from curbside.

Other policies affected by recent city legislation are these:

• Yard waste hauling: Yard waste generated by any business that provides lawn maintenance, tree trimming or tree removal must also be hauled away by the business providing the service.
• Bulk item fees: A simplified fee schedule will apply to bulk items and a flat-rate cost of $10 per item will be added to the occupant’s utility bill. This simplified fee schedule reduces the cost of bulk pickup and simplifies the process for both the citizen and public works staff.
• Bulk item scheduling: Residents with bulk items must schedule a pickup with the city within 48 hours of placing the items on the curb or risk being assessed a $300 service charge. Residents can call 941-708-6340 to set up a bulk pickup.