PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Trash on the Treasure Coast is continuing to pile up. However, Port St. Lucie leaders promise progress is being made.
City leaders said Monday night during a City Council meeting that six trucks are currently being leased to help with the backlog of garbage pickups.
Three additional trucks are scheduled to begin service next week.
Port St. Lucie officials said employees from the city's Public Works Department are operating the leased trucks and have been pulled from their normal job assignments.
City leaders said the leased trucks are picking up trash at more than 300 homes each day on average.
The city's new waste provider, FCC Environmental Services, is scheduled to take over for Waste Pro in September.
However, FCC is already servicing the city's commercial accounts.
Once FCC takes over for Waste Pro, trash and recycling pickup will be moved to just once per week and will be scheduled on the same day.
"Our goal is to go out for a home that has not been serviced in at least seven days," City Manager Russ Blackburn said. "Our code enforcement officers validate those misses and then they'll also look for each side of the street where the home was called in and we pick up everybody who hasn't been picked up."
City leaders have discussed the possibility of residents receiving a waste collection credit for the lack of service.
City Council members will begin working out the potential credit during a workshop scheduled to begin July 20.
