Nick Dunne, a spokesman for the mayor’s office, said St Louis’ Refuse Division is on track to resume regular recycling operations by early December thanks to an uptick in hiring. Dunne credits a new incentive program that offers a $3,000 bonus to new hires after they complete a work testing period. Applications for heavy equipment operator jobs jumped to nearly 170 last month, up from 12 in July.
But Dunne said fewer than two dozen of those applicants were certified by the city, mainly because they didn’t have a required Commercial Driver’s License permit. He said the city has struggled to hire within the department for many reasons. “The refuse job is not an easy one,” he said. “You have to operate heavy equipment, especially if you’re doing bulk pickup — there are heavier items. So there are definitely some physical limitations with that. Also I think the shortage in refuse is part of the larger shortage of labor we’re seeing across the country.”
The city hired 10 full-time employees in August for the Refuse Division. But Dunne said more workers are needed. “We’re doing everything we can to make sure people know these jobs are available to them, and we definitely want to instill civic pride with those who do want to apply and work for the city,” he said. “We’re just trying to remain optimistic that we can get back to providing city services at pre-COVID levels.”
Alderwoman Anne Schweitzer, who represents the 13th Ward in south St. Louis, said she’s been getting complaints from constituents who weren’t aware that recycling pickup has been on hold. “I’m sure that it’s frustrating,” she said. “People are paying for this service and they should be getting it. But we are in a pandemic, we had a hiring freeze for a long time that resulted in a shortage of drivers and the hiring freeze has affected our services.” Schweitzer said it’s important to get recycling services back as soon as possible. Once that happens, she hopes people will also think twice about what they’re recycling.