Dive Brief:

• St. Petersburg, FL’s new curbside recycling system hasn’t started yet, but some residents have problems with it. And city council member Darden Rice, who has been a supporter of recycling in the city, called for a public conversation on the matter.
• About 40% of the city’s residents have been getting garbage pick-ups in alleys behind their homes for many years, but the new recycling plan will end alley pick-ups. Newer trucks bought by the city for the new plan will not fit down alleyways.
• Since there will be no alley pick-up, some residents will have to lug their new 95-gallon containers around their homes or up the street for pick-ups. Others are fuming at the new monthly fee connected to the service.

Dive Insight:

Residents are angry about confusing information. It’s obvious that the city has had a communications breakdown, since the community has not entirely bought into the new plan, nor understands how the plan will work. A public discussion could help clear the confusion.