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Driver Shortage Leads to Omaha, Neb., Missing Yard Waste Deadline
The company said this week that it’s adding 20 yard-waste-only routes this year, bringing the total number of routes in the city to more than 80.
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Earlier this year, Omaha, Neb., set a deadline of June 5 after which all residential yard waste would be sent to the Papillion Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant to be composted instead of Douglas County’s Pheasant Point Landfill.
That date has now come and passed with no transition taking place.
The Omaha World-Herald reports the city’s yard waste is still being taken to the landfill. The city is allowing Waste Management to continue collecting yard waste with trash due to a shortage of CDL drivers in the city.
There’s more:
The company said this week that it’s adding 20 yard-waste-only routes this year, bringing the total number of routes in the city to more than 80.
The company also pointed to Omaha’s practice of allowing residents to put unlimited yard waste at the curb, saying that led to “long hours for the drivers and helpers.”
In a statement Tuesday, Stothert said “the city supports Waste Management’s efforts to hire and retain qualified CDL licensed drivers. We expect these steps to continue so we can reach the required level of service to our taxpayers.”
Meanwhile, as the city prepares to put its waste hauling contract to bid, it has released survey results from a pilot program in which Omahans received larger bins for trash and recycling.
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