COVID-fueled staffing issues have caused delays in recycling pick-up across DeKalb County — but officials say they’ll have things rectified soon.
In a Thursday morning tweet, DeKalb Sanitation acknowledged the issues “throughout much of [its] service area” and encouraged residents to leave uncollected recycling and yard trimmings at the curb.
The department said crews would be working through the weekend to catch up.
The ongoing pandemic and the rise of the highly contagious omicron variant have caused staffing issues in industries and services across the country. That’s been no different in metro Atlanta, where rising COVID cases have, among other things, affected the ability of local governments and private companies to collect trash and recycling on a regular basis.
Several counties, including DeKalb and neighboring Gwinnett, have had issues.
Joseph Geierman, the mayor of Doraville in northern DeKalb, wrote on Facebook this week that he’s heard from many frustrated residents who haven’t had their recycling collected in two weeks.
“My suggestion to residents — particularly those with overflowing recycle bins — is to forgo recycling for the next week or two, while the county figures this out,” Geierman wrote. “Use the green trash bin instead.”
Follow @DKalbSanitation on Twitter for regular updates.
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