Trash debate heats up in Port St. Lucie
Port St. Lucie, Fl (treasurecoast.com) -The trash debate is heating up in Port St. Lucie. Homeowners here may pay $2.82 more for trash pick-up.
The City Council unanimously approved at its meeting Monday increasing the preliminary solid waste services assessment rate from $281.92 to $284.74.
The council is expected to finalize the trash hauling assessment at budget hearings in September, officials said. If approved, the rate would go into effect Oct. 1.
Since 2006, the city has contracted Waste Pro for weekly yard waste collection and twice weekly residential trash pick-up.
The city is expected to collect roughly $22.1 million from the proposed assessment increase to cover the costs of Waste Pro services.
Customers here have complained about missed or delayed pickups for years, but it has significantly worsened since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic — which is evident by the 15,571 complaints Waste Pro received from Port St. Lucie customers over the past 17 months, data shows.
Poor performance is unrelated to the assessment increase, officials said.
As the company grapples with a driver shortage they say is caused by the pandemic, the city hopes to address other issues — such as regulating the size of curbside piles, how frequently Waste Pro picks them up and if debris needs to be in a can or a bag — by October, officials said at the council’s July 12 meeting.
