Bradenton, Florida residents lose curbside recycle pickup due to worker shortage
Florida city administrator says it's a 'sad illusiont' that things are being recycled
A city in Florida is ditching curbside recycling pick-up services due to a lack of manpower.
Officials in Bardenton, Florida announced that recyclable materials should no longer be left curbside for pick-up. Instead, residents who wish to recycle garbage must take their bags to a local drop-off location.
"They say, ‘Why?’ and I say, ‘Because it’s not working,’" Rob Perry, the City Administrator for Bradenton, told Fox 13 Tampa Bay. "And it’s not working for three main reasons, we don’t have the staff to do four different things, which are garbage refuge, recycle, then yard waste, and bulk item pickup.
COCA-COLA TO INTRODUCE BOTTLES WITH ATTACHED LIDS
"Secondly, it’s an illusion that things are actually being recycled, it’s a sad illusion," he added.
(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
City officials say that while approximately 50 workers would be needed to efficiently run the recycling pick-up program, there are only approximately 30 men available.
Additionally, residents are not properly preparing recyclable materials for processing, with more than half of collected recyclables contaminated.
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Government bodies and major corporations have long been attempting to make the recycling system more efficient and worthwhile. With the massive scale of consumption on some products, even small design changes can help.
Coca-Cola Great Britain announced Tuesday that the company will introduce packaging that keeps bottle caps attached to ensure that customers can easily recycle the entire package.
The company said in a statement that plastic bottle lids have been recyclable for several years but are often discarded or littered.
Single-use plastic bottles are still allowed in the EU. However, starting in 2024, the bottles must reduce the "dispersal of container caps and lids made of plastic into the environment" through attached caps and other designs, the directive states.