BALTIMORE — Baltimore City will resume weekly recycling collection beginning in March, the Department of Public Works confirmed.
Officials say the continuation of recycling services is the result of a three-pronged strategy:
* Bolstering the Workforce: Addressing recruitment and retention strategies in the division of solid waste. Since July, we have hired/promoted 35 new drivers and 74 new solid waste workers. With the latest hires, solid waste is down to an 8.6 % vacancy rate.
* Upgrading the Fleet: Upgrading and maintaining the city's aging fleet. We ordered 80 new load packers-13 are needed to return to weekly recycling.
* Optimizing Routes: We worked with Rubicon to implement new technology and reduce the number of stops per crew to 1800 (previously 2600).
MORE: Baltimore DPW Director resigns amid pressure to restore weekly recycling
“The delivery of these vehicles is a solid next step in finally getting us to return to weekly recycling pickup. Our teams at DGS and DPW are working nonstop to get these trucks road-ready, ensure that crews are ready to go, and complete testing of the updated routes. We still have a few steps to go, but I’m confident that we’re now on track to return to weekly recycling the first full week of March.”
Services are set for the first full week of March.
