CLAY COUNTY – There was an extra rumble of garage trucks this week in Clay County, as Waste Management resumed curbside recycling pickups in the unincorporated areas of the county and Keystone Heights.

Sidelined for nearly 16 months by the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of workers, the company returned on Monday, Dec. 5, to keep paper, cardboard, glass, cans and plastic items out of landfills.

Recycling pickup dates will be the same day when yard waste is collected.

Since COVID-19, Waste Management has struggled with staffing shortages for more than a year. To offset the lack of licensed drivers with CDL licenses, the company offered better salaries, benefits and sign-on bonuses. While residents were able to take recyclables to any one of the county’s five permanent drop-off sites. To offset the overwhelming demand – and to keep recyclable materials from ending up in trash heaps – the county also created seven temporary sites. Those temporary sites will be removed Dec. 19.

Residents are reminded to separate paper products from glass, cans and plastic items. Bins can be requested online through the Clay Connected service request platform, which is located on the county’s website homepage, https://www.claycountygov.com/, and on the Garbage and Recycling webpage at www.claycountygov.com/community/garbage-and-recycling.

Bins also can be requested by calling Environmental Services at (904) 284-6374. Residents in the City of Keystone Heights should call Waste Management at (904) 695-0500 to request bins. Although residents paid for recycling services through their property taxes, the Board of County Commission voted to provide rebates during the disruption. According to the county, paper products are generally limited to clean, dry paper products such as newspapers, books, junk mail, shredded paper and flattened corrugated cardboard cut into 2-foot-by-3-foot pieces. The other container bin should be for rinsed containers including plastic and glass bottles and jars, aluminum and steel cans, and cartons and juice boxes.

Recycling bins curbside by 6 a.m. on your collection day. Use the “Collection Day Lookup” to find your recycling collection pick-up dates here: https://www.claycountygov.com/community/garbage-and-recycling/residential-curbside-services-recycling, or select “Curbside Collection” from the Environmental Services home page at “Garbage and Recycling” under the “Community tab.”

Certain items should not be placed in recycling bins because they are considered hazardous or can damage sorting equipment. Prohibited items include medical sharps, plastic grocery bags, Styrofoam, chemical containers, broken glass, window glass, mirrors, aluminum foil and clothes hangers.