Chattanooga, Tennessee halts its recycling pickup due to a shortage in pickup drivers

Chattanooga, Tennessee halts its recycling pickup due to a shortage in pickup drivers

The city government of Chattanooga, Tennessee, will be stopping curbside recycling pickup starting July 30 due to employee shortages. The recycling collection service will be suspended until the city is able to fill 32 open commercial driver positions, it said Thursday on Twitter. City officials are recommending residents personally deliver their recycling to Chattanooga's recycling drop-off centers. "This was a difficult decision," the city said in the tweet, also citing as factor creating an "untenable" curbside recycling effort. The from private sector recycling pickups adds to the difficulty in finding dedicated employees. The starting pay for CDL (commercial driver's license) truck drivers is $29,865 — 118% less than the starting pay for drivers recruited by local pickup companies, according to a presentation the mayor's office made to the Chattanooga city council earlier this week. The office also presented data that most these vacant municipal positions, some of which have been unfilled for more than two years, because of the pay. The city is then forced to hire less-qualified applicants who require more training and manager supervision worker. "The impact to recycling due to our driver shortage illustrates one of Chattanooga's most acute problems," said City of Chattanooga's Chief of Staff