The City of St. Augustine Beach has figured a way to return to curbside recycling pick up. Like other cities in Florida – including Jacksonville — the beach community pushed pause on recycling, citing labor shortages. Dan Hartman of St. Augustine Beach is an avid recycler. “We used to do it religiously until they quit in September or October,” he said.
St. Augustine Beach City Manager said the city used to work with Advanced Disposal for recycling pick-up. However the deal dissolved in the fall between the city and the company, which was bought by Waste Management in 2020. The city commission decided to take on recycling itself.
The city bought a recycling truck, hired a crew, and will now take the recyclables to a different facility that charges less, according to City Manager Max Royle. However, there are changes for residents. The list of things they can put in the recycling bin is a lot smaller than it was.
Hartman looked at the list. “Aluminum foil, baking and serving dishes. I used to rinse all that stuff off and we’d throw it in the recycle (bin). They don’t take it now.” Glass is no longer picked up either. And if there are items in the bin that the city won’t accept as recyclables, then the city crew will just leave the entire bin. Pick-up crews are also leaving notes on the bins, explaining why the bin was not emptied.