Bi-weekly recycling pickup will continue indefinitely in Baltimore. Councilman Eric Costello tweeted a letter from the Department of Public Works about the services. In that letter, DPW director Dr. Jason W. Mitchell outlined several reasons why weekly collections are still on hold. Mitchell says services cannot be performed in a safe and effective manner at this time. DPW says workers need to be fully trained and do not want delays in pickups.
DPW says staffing remains a challenge, so the agency is considering reaching out to contractors for additional help. However, the agency laid out a few considerations before hiring a contractor:
- The use of contractors will result in disparate pay for City workers performing the same tasks as contractors.
- Contractors desire longer-term contracts (minimum of 5 years) as up-front investment and recruitment of workers is needed.
- Contractors may need to purchase specialized vehicles that will take 2-3 years for production.
- Vendors must provide enough staffing and equipment for 40-48 additional routes each week.
- An extra 10-12 trucks, 30-45 employees, including 15 commercial drivers are potentially needed.