Thanks to our NPU-F Chair, Debbie Skopczynski, and to Marla Johnson from Morningside-Lenox Park Association, for compiling this great info!

Recently, the Commissioner of Public Works addressed yard debris pickup concerns with NPU Chairs. You can view the presentation from Public Works, and the following are takeaways from our NPU-F Chair:

• They are sincerely working on it. Many problems have been caused with the labor shortage and their inability to recruit the number of employees that are needed (they've hired 40 but need more) - despite using cash and other incentives.  Office staff have been reassigned as truck drivers until they can get staffed up and caught up. New employees are not familiar with some of the neighborhoods and miss some of the streets.  Temp agencies are not interested in supplying workers because of the liability with work that requires folks to hang off a truck.
  
  
• One of the problems discussed is how the truck routing has worked. Once the truck is full with debris, they leave the route and travel to the only City dump site which is on the Atlanta/Cobb border. Sometimes that happens in the middle of the block. Usually they don't return to where they left off because of the travel distance.
  
  
• The City has antiquated trucks, systems and processes that they are working to update.  They are buying new software that will do a better job scheduling routes and 8 new trucks that will only require one person. They are also looking to expand the number of dump sites to different parts of the city.
  
  
• The Commissioner says that if your yard waste hasn't been picked up in 3 weeks, it's not on their radar. You may put it in your regular trash until they can get the system fixed. It won't be recycled, but it won't be sitting on the street.
  
  
• They have hired two landscape companies to pick up yard waste. They will be in marked trucks and focusing on the areas that have been most neglected. 

More info and to see the latest schedule for pickups.