Curbside recycling services provided to city of Picayune residents by Coastal Environmental Services are being suspended as a result of the impact of COVID-19.
Jack Francioni with Coastal Environmental Services said the change is needed to ensure the safety of the company’s employees and to properly deal with an increase in tonnage.
Francioni said that a typical weekly waste collection in the city of Picayune is 91 tons. Over the course of the past two weeks, that tonnage increased to 126 tons weekly.
Additionally, Francioni said that the company is dealing with staff reductions. Those reductions are due to illness or the need for employees to care for sick family members, according to a company statement.
Another concern is the possibility that the most recent strain of coronavirus remains on certain surfaces, such as cardboard and plastic, for up to 24 hours.
With those things in mind, the company has decided to suspend collection of recyclable materials until further notice, Francioni said.
According to a release from the city of Picayune, residents are now asked to put any recyclables with normal residential waste since trucks will no longer collect recyclable materials separately on Wednesdays.
“Any recyclables placed curbside on Wednesdays will have to be added to your household waste on the next garbage collection day,” the release states. “We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience during these difficult times.”
Questions about this change to recycling can be directed to the Picayune Public Works Department by calling 311 or 601-799-0602.