Lexington tries to fix delays in yard waste pickup

Full yard waste containers are waiting at the curbs of some Lexington homes as the city struggles to find enough drivers to pick up the debris.

Yard waste trucks are currently unable to service everyone on their regular collection day, Mayor Jim Gray explained in a tweet.

A shortage of licensed commercial drivers has caused the delays. The issue has not spilled over to garbage and recycling pickup, said Dowell Hoskins-Squier, commissioner of environmental quality and public works.

The lack of drivers is the result of vacant positions, drivers off work for various injuries and employees who need a day off for whatever reason, Hoskins-Squier said.

There are 119 positions in the city for waste management drivers, and 16 are vacant or in the process of being filled, according to Hoskins-Squier.

Residents should continue to put out their yard waste containers or brown paper yard waste bags at the curb on their scheduled pickup day, but it may be an extra day or two until the material is removed, according to the city. If the material hasn't been picked up after that extra day or two, the city offers the options of calling 311 or 425-2255.

"This is where people have been frustrated and I completely understand," Hoskins-Squier said. "You may put it out Tuesday, and we will try to get to it by Wednesday. Hopefully, this is just a short-time thing."

The priority for the city is and always will be garbage and recycling pickup, Hoskins-Squier said. Some drivers who typically work on the 12 daily yard waste collection routes have shifted to garbage and recycling.

A shortage of licensed commercial drivers is an issue nationwide. There is a need for 51,000 truck drivers, up from 15,000 just six years ago,according to the American Trucking Associations.

So why are there fewer truck drivers? Retiring baby boomers and a strengthening economy have beenmajor factors, USA Today reported last month.

The need for drivers may persist through the summer, according to the city.

"We will make every effort to make sure that is not the case," Hoskins-Squier said.

This story was originally published May 11, 2018 at 10:35 AM with the headline "Lexington tries to fix delays in yard waste pickup."