Letter from

CITY OF ST. LOUIS

DEPARTMENT OF STREETS

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR

December 18, 2021

Topic:  Update on Recycling Services

The Refuse Division of St. Louis Street Department is currently evaluating the reinstatement of alley recycling service.  Daily operators, equipment, and level of service are tracked to gauge future services.  The average household in the City of St. Louis produces 1.7 tons of material with a national average of 1 ton per household.

Currently solid waste is scheduled for collection twice a week on 55 daily routes.  Daily average is 44 Operators, running 35 trucks per day.  This leave Refuse down 11 operators, roughly 15-20 trucks short and lacking 15 routes per day of solid waste collection.  Employees are currently working 7 days a week to honor our commitment of collecting solid waste twice a week.  Reinstating an effective alleyway recycling collection plan will take 45 operators and 45 trucks running on a daily basis.  While progress is being made with hiring operators and mechanics, we still have work to do.  We are engaging with an environmental non-profit and a consulting firm to look at ways to make waste and recycling pick up more efficient and environmentally correct in the future.

Resuming Alleyway recycling collection is a top priority for the division.  Refuse will continue to monitor results on a daily basis and brainstorm ways to reinstate alleyway recycling pickup for all city residents.  Residents are encouraged to continue bringing their recycling to the more than 25 dropoff locations throughout the city https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/street/refuse/recycle/dropoff.cfm .  Recycling pickup at these locations, as well as from residents with individual roll carts, will continue as usual.

Betherny Williams

St. Louis City Director of Streets Department