Burlington County Taking Steps To Fix Recycling Issues

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — Burlington County is now training truck drivers from its Division of Roads and Bridges on how to drive recycling trucks amid the ongoing truck driver shortage that is severely impacting collections, county officials announced on Thursday.

Officials said the training is being “expedited” so that they can quickly begin collections to help the Occupational Training Center (OTC), the county’s regular recycling provider, with collections.

The county has also entered into a shared services agreement with the Burlington County Bridge Commission to allow commission drivers to collect recycling, officials said.

In addition, the OTC has added trucks that are easier to drive so additional drivers can be trained and deployed sooner.

“We understand and share the frustrations of our residents about the delays, but the truck driver shortage has created a lot of challenges beyond our control. Nonetheless, we have taken several responsive actions to assist our recycling vendor to try to get us back on a more regular collection schedule,” Burlington County Commissioner Tom Pullion, liaison to the Department of Solid Waste and Recycling, said. “These additional drivers are not a permanent fix, and they won’t necessarily get us back to our regular recycling schedule overnight, but they should help us bridge the gap while we continue to work with OTC to help them hire and train permanent drivers to replace the ones they’ve lost. These are encouraging steps and we appreciate the Bridge Commission and our own County truck drivers for stepping forward to assist us. We are also grateful for the help we’ve received from many of our municipal partners.”

Last month, multiple recycling truck drivers left the Occupational Training Center of Burlington County for other employment, according to county officials.

This left the nonprofit that collects and sorts the county's recyclables severely shorthanded, county officials said. Read more here: Burlington County Recycling Hit Hard By Truck Driver Shortage

The Occupational Training Center specializes in training and employing individuals with disabilities. It has run the county's recycling program since 1982.

“When we heard the County was looking for drivers to assist OTC, we immediately stepped forward to see how we could help make it happen,” Burlington County Bridge Commission Chairman Matt Riggins said. “During challenging times like these, all levels of government need to work together for the good of our residents and neighbors, and that’s exactly what’s happening.”

Burlington County and the Bridge Commission have a long history of shared services, Riggins said. The Bridge Commission has also helped local municipalities, schools, businesses and non-profit organizations, according to Riggins.

The driver shortage has forced numerous changes in the curbside recycling collection schedule in all towns, and residents should continue to check the County’s Recycling Hotline at 609-267-2889 regularly for the latest three-day schedule.

Updated schedules are also posted online daily at burlcorecycles.com and on the Burlington County Facebook page. Residents are also encouraged to download the free Recycling Coach app, which can provide notifications about upcoming collection makeup days. The Recycle Coach app can be downloaded from iTunes or the GooglePlay app stores. For residents without smart phones, a PC/Laptop version is available at https://www.co.burlington.nj.us/1602/Recycle-Coach.

The driver shortage has forced numerous changes in the curbside recycling collection schedule in all towns, and residents should continue to check the County’s Recycling Hotline at 609-267-6889 regularly for the latest three-day schedule.

Updated schedules are also posted online daily at burlcorecycles.com and on the Burlington County Facebook page. Residents are also encouraged to download the free Recycling Coach app, which can provide notifications about upcoming collection makeup days. The Recycle Coach app can be downloaded from iTunes or the GooglePlay app stores. For residents without smart phones, a PC/Laptop version is available at www.co.burlington,nj.us/1602/Recycle-Coach.

“These are the trusted sources for the most up-to-date information about recycling collections,” Pullion said. “We know there has been a lot of rumors and confusion about the issue. We want residents to know we’re still collecting and working to return to our regular schedule as quickly as possible. Until then, we want to make sure everyone receives the correct information.”
Residents are also encouraged to make use of the recycling drop-off sites located in their towns. A list of municipal locations is available here.

Nationwide, the shortage of over-the-road drivers is at its highest level in 15 years, according to the Solid Waste Association of America, which blames the shortages on an aging workforce, occupational hazards and increased demand from e-commerce.

Competition for in-demand drivers has made retention challenging, and finding replacements has also proven difficult due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on driver schools and Motor Vehicle Commission operations.

The driver shortage has impacted numerous other recycling and trash haulers, including several private companies contracted to collect trash in county municipalities and elsewhere in the region, such as Cherry Hill and Collingswood.

Burlington County officials noted that they collect recycling in all 40 municipalities and is one of the few counties in New Jersey to provide the service free-of-charge to homeowners and towns.

“We do collections as a shared service to save our property taxpayers money, and the recycling program’s record has been outstanding throughout the last four decades,” Pullion said. “Everyone is facing a Perfect Storm situation now, but we’re getting some temporary help and expect the situation will improve, and we’re incredibly grateful to have partners like the Bridge Commission to work with us.”