Rumpke worker shortages hinder waste and recycling collection in Columbus

Residents of Columbus, Ohio, are up in arms after a continued shortage of workers has limited recyclable and waste collection in the area, reports the Columbus Dispatch.

"What I’m seeing is recycling is ‘here and there’ as far as pickup [schedules]," Michael Aaron, a community leader in the city, told the Dispatch. "It may get picked up, it may not. Yard waste is not getting picked up. Paper bags are just stacked up in yards and alleys." 

Colerain Township, Ohio-based Rumpke is the hauler contracted to pick up yard waste and recycling biweekly; however, the company says it has been difficult to fill open collection jobs for the city’s routes, meaning overflowing bins or yard waste often remain uncollected. 

"We're seeing less applicants than we normally would," Gayane Makaryan, a Rumpke spokesperson, told the Dispatch.

At one point, Makaryan says Rumpke was down 20 drivers in March and April. Since then, the company has hired seven new drivers and has 10 driver trainees in the program, she added. 

Rumpke has openings for 19 drivers, 14 helpers and 12 driver trainees. The starting rate for trainees is $18 an hour. Once the trainee becomes a driver, the rate increases to $20 an hour, according to Rumpke.

As a result of the worker shortage, thousands of complaints have been made with the city. According to the city, there were 3,067 service requests citywide, compared with 868 in March 2020. In April, there were 8,548, compared with 1,462 in April 2020. Through May 18, there were 4,844 service requests, compared with 846 in May 2020.

In March, Columbus City Council renewed a $9.5 million contract with Rumpke to provide recycling and yard waste services. It's the fifth year of a 5-year contract. The total cost for the five years is $45 million, reports the Dispatch.

In an email to the Dispatch, Deb Briner, a spokesperson for the city's public service department, says Rumpke is working to clear the backlog on some Columbus yard waste collection routes.

"Spring and fall are peak seasons for yard waste volume, and Rumpke continues to extend collection service hours and recruit more workers," Briner says.

Despite some missed collections, many routes are being collected on schedule, and Rumpke is working to complete any remaining routes within a day or two when collections are missed, she adds.

If Rumpke misses collection for a home three times in 12 months, the city adds it to a list that prioritizes pick-up in the area. If collection is missed again in the area during that period, the city may charge Rumpke for not collecting it. According to the city, Rumpke was charged $10,000 due to missed collections at hot spots in April.

Columbus City Council member Emmanuel Remy, who chairs the environmental committee that oversees refuse service, says issues with waste collection in the city will be brought up when the contract comes up again.