Robbinsdale Residents Seek Answers for Yard-Waste Problem
The Wait on Waste Management Continues, As Yard Waste Piles Up in Robbinsdale
People living in Robbinsdale have been waiting on waste management to come by for weeks, but patience is running out.
In a statement to CCX News, Waste Management officials said: “There currently is a high demand for CDL licensed drivers throughout the trucking industry due to a variety of factors including the rapid expansion of home delivery services, an aging driver population, and a deficit of new CDL drivers. The result is a high demand for CDL drivers during an era of diminishing CDL workforce.”
Residents, however, are having to haul yard waste on their own to a temporary drop-off site at the Robbinsdale Public Works facility.
“You know these have been sitting here for a long time and the bottoms are starting to rot out,” said Robbinsdale resident Andi Gordon, as she showed CCX News yard waste she was dropping off.
Robbinsdale City Manager Tim Sandvik says he’s aware of the problem and has received several phone calls and emails from residents.
Sandvik said residents will be reimbursed for yard waste services they never received.
“We under our organized collection contract have a breakout of what those services cost, it’s just under seven dollars for a monthly fee for yard waste pick-ups so the number weeks that are not serviced, there will not be a charge for those,” Sandvik said.
Both the city and Waste Management say it’s unclear when this temporary drop-off site will turn into a permanent solution.
Waste Management officials say the company is offering a list of incentives to potential drivers to help with hiring. They say there are six other cities in the metro area currently impacted by the shortage of drivers.
To learn more about Robbinsdale’s temporary drop-off site, visit robbinsdalemn.com.
