Palm Coast, FL - Waste Pro, the company that was recently served a notice by the City of Palm Coast, says its working to address a labor shortage that is affecting service in the area.
According to an email from an unnamed—as the message did not contain the name of a representative—Waste Pro spokesperson addressed to News Daytona Beach, the company is "not immune to the ongoing nationwide driver and labor pool shortages that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic."
The spokesperson went on to say that demand for qualified drivers currently outpaces supply, adding that recent changes to unemployment benefits, combined with stimulus checks and other enhanced government assistance programs, has "made it more attractive for many people to not work." Still, the company remains optimistic that the state's plan to get people back to work will help alleviate the shortage.
"We are optimistic that the Back to Work plan will assist our recruiting efforts to fill jobs at Waste Pro and other service-related industries," wrote the representative.
Waste Pro has been under fire recently for gaps in service throughout the Palm Coast area. Most recently, the situation between the city and Waste Pro escalated after city leaders accused the company of breaching their contract, leading Palm Coast to issue Waste Pro a seven-day ultimatum; resolve the breach, or the contract is terminated. Waste Pro has until June 2 to address the problem.
"Waste Pro values its relationship with the City and is committed to providing the best possible service to the residents of Palm Coast," the company stated in the email. "We are continuing to work closely with the City and are actively engaged in the recruitment and training of new drivers and helpers to cover existing routes and manage the volume changes."
The company went on to state that they are in the midst of using a corporate recruiter focused on the Palm Coast area to hire more workers, on top of enhancing their recruitment efforts and increasing participation in local job fairs; of which they have reportedly hosted three in recent weeks.
"Retention and referral bonuses have also been implemented and a market rate adjustment was recently completed," said Waste Pro."We appreciate your patience and the support of our community as we continue to navigate through these unprecedented times."
Along with their statement on the matter, Waste Pro included a document from the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) that also addresses a growing labor shortage. In the document, SWANA echoes some of the same reasonings behind the nationwide labor shortage—those being the pandemic, stimulus checks, and unemployment benefits—and added that an "increased demand for trucking services caused in part by the substantial growth in online shopping and home delivery services" is also to blame, as well as an "aging workforce and more stringent driver requirements at the federal level."
"Both public and private sector collection service providers are facing increased difficulty hiring and retaining collection truck drivers and helpers," SWANA said. "Some waste and recycling collection service providers are having difficulty providing services at pre-COVID-19 service levels."
Per SWANA, waste collection companies and communities can work together to bring forward short-term solutions to pick up problems. SWANA said this can be achieved by temporarily reducing the collection service frequency for recycling and yard waste collection; temporarily suspending the curbside collection of yard waste and/or bulky waste; expanding the use of temporary workers; and aggressive outreach to potential employees through mediums such as social media.
