Bradenton Announces it is Ending Its Curbside Recycling Pickup Service

Bradenton Announces it is Ending Its Curbside Recycling Pickup Service

Bradenton announces changes to recycling, yard waste and bulk item pickup

The City of Bradenton is setting out to create a more robust recycling program that produces consistently cleaner loads of recyclable materials. To do that, the City will ask for help from its citizens.

After a 5-0 vote in Wednesday’s (4/27/22) City Council meeting, the City is announcing that in lieu of curbside recycle collection, it will instead offer 10 recycling “convenience centers” strategically located around the city, at which clean recyclables can be deposited. After those 10 prove to be successful, more will be deployed.

Recycling and other solid waste collection changes are expected to take effect by early summer, and a program of public education will ensue in the interim.

Two main factors have precipitated this revision of curbside recycling - a debilitating lack of manpower and a staggering rate of residential recycling deemed “contaminated.” Curbside recycling can become easily contaminated because batches from separate houses co-mingle in the trucks; if enough of these batches is polluted, the entire load is deemed contaminated. Contaminated loads are sent to the landfill instead of being processed at the recycling plant.

The recycling convenience centers will feature large locked recycling containers with cardboard slots and ports for recyclable goods. The recycling centers will be placed in safe and convenient places around the City and will be accessible 24 hours a day. 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.

“We feel that this new approach will actually help us to grow the level of clean recycling in our city,” City Administrator Rob Perry said. “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.

Yard waste should be Bagged, Bundled or in the Blue Bins (once the blue buns are repurposed for yard waste.) The blue bins supplied to households and formerly used for recycling, will be repurposed for yard waste collection. Twigs and small limbs must be bundled in neat piles of no more than six feet in length and two feet high and placed for curbside pickup, and grass cuttings, leaves, and small clippings can be placed in a bag and placed at the curb. Palm fronds of any size will be picked up from curbside.

Other policies affected by the recent 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 - 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 the 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.

“Our goal is to never have to impose the service charge,” said Public Works & Utilities Director Jim McLellan. “A simple call from residents to schedule collection will achieve that goal.”

Residents can call (941) 708-6340 to facilitate a bulk pickup.

Learn more here: https://cityofbradenton.com/