Recycling Pick-Up Ends In Bradenton: What You Need To Know

BRADENTON, FL — Because of staffing shortages and an increase in contaminated materials being collected, Bradenton ended its curbside recycling program Friday.

Now, residents must bring their clean recyclable materials to one of the 10 new recycling convenience centers throughout the city. The drop-off centers will be accessible daily, 24 hours a day.

These centers can be found at the following locations:

• East end of San Ortebello Drive, adjacent to the elevated water tower
• 100 22nd Street NE in the parking area adjacent to the city lift station
• 1000 24th Street E., adjacent to the Dream Center
• Cordova Lakes dead end at 38th Avenue W./61st Street W.
• 17th Avenue W. at the park at Wares Creek, adjacent to the lift station
• Lewis Park parking lot, 3120 1st Ave. W.
• 9th Avenue W. between 63rd and 64th Street W. on the north side of the road
• Palma Sola Causeway, 9800 SR 64 W., adjacent to solid waste dumpster
• 28th Street W. Park at 2718 13th Ave. W. at the opening in the split-rail fence
• Red Cross building loop road at 2905 59th Street W.

Here’s everything you need to know about preparing your recycling for the new drop-off centers:

• Rinse off aluminum and steel tins and cans before dropping them off.
• Only plastic containers No. 1-7 are collected.
• All types of paper, including catalogues, junk mail, newspapers and magazines are recyclable.
• Cardboard may be dropped off, though not greasy pizza boxes.
• All recycling needs to be clean and dry.
• Flattened cardboard fits in the front slot, while all other items can go into the door on the side of the container.
• Bagged recyclables, Styrofoam, plastic bags, textiles or shoes, glass, hazardous waste, food waste, and hangers, rope, wire, cords, or chains are not allowed.

With these new drop-off centers, “the goal is to create a more robust recycling program that produces consistently cleaner loads of recyclable materials,” according to a video on Bradenton’s Solid Waste Services website. (Watch the video below.)

For trash, recycling and yard waste pick-up, 51 employees are needed to provide the curbside services, the city said.

There are currently 13 vacant positions, according to the video. The number of drivers unavailable to take on routes dwindles further each day — by about eight staffers — because of absences and those taking on administrative duties, according to the video.

This leaves just 30 available drivers. For garbage pick-up, 23 employees are needed, leaving just seven for yard waste and recycling, the city said. Twenty workers are needed to cover 10 yard waste and recycling routes, leaving a number of routes unmanned.

“In addition to the debilitating lack of manpower, there is also a staggering rate of recyclables that are deemed contaminated,” according to the city’s video.

Batches of recyclables from different households comingle in the truck and dirty materials easily contaminate other items in the truck, the city said. Contaminated loads are sent to the landfill rather than recycling centers.

Using the recycling drop-off centers “will help to produce a cleaner recycling stream and less staffing will be needed,” the city said.

Meanwhile, the former recycling bins will be repurposed for yard waste collection.

Watch the city’s full video about the recycling changes: