New statement from Waste Pro outlines why Cape Coral’s trash is piling up

With yard waste and furniture among the things piling up, there seems to be no end in sight for Cape Coral’s trash problem.

As trash continues to pile up along your streets, the company says it faces a new competitor when looking for employees.

Waste Pro knows it has problems with trash in Cape Coral. So much so, that Cape Coral Mayor John Gunter is on them about it.

“I’m looking out my door seeing the same trash that the community is. I’m not happy about it,” Gunter said.

People are waiting for someone, anyone really, to pick up their bulk items and yard waste. For weeks, the company has blamed a nationwide driver shortage for failing to keep up with its scheduled pickups.

In a new statement, Waste Pro goes even further:

“The labor pool shortage is unsustainable and it is during these challenging times that we must come together and support our industry and our communities we serve.”

People in Cape Coral are doing their best to get around it. Some who grew tired of trash piling up in their front yard have decided to haul it to the drop-off site and be done with it.

The City of Cape Coral is stepping in and reassigning public works employees to trash pick up.

“We have a contractual agreement with Waste Pro’s, they’re supposed to pick up trash on a designated day, on a weekly basis and they’re not doing that. We’re paying them for a service that we’re not getting,” the mayor said.

In that same Waste Pro statement, it says:

“unemployment benefits, combined with stimulus checks…make it more attractive for many people to noT work than to get up daily and work in a manually labor-intensive environment, such as ours.”

Mayor Gunter says that’s not good enough. “The community is paying for a service through their solid waste fees that they are not getting so to me it’s unacceptable,” Gunter said.

Waste Pro ends this statement by saying:

“Waste Pro is actively working to recuit and train new drivers…launched retention bonus plans as well as new driver referral bonuses.”

Cape Coral is punishing Waste Pro financially for falling behind on its trash collection. The mayor says anyone who wants to call with a complaint can dial the 311 hotline so the city has a record of those missed pickups.

You can read Waste Pro’s full statement below:

“We are navigating through unprecedented times surrounding staffing and like other industries, we are not immune to the nationwide driver and labor pool shortages. The demand for qualified drivers currently outpaces supply. Enhanced requirements at the federal level, such as the DOT Drug Clearing House and more stringent review of driver CSA scores have further narrowed an already shallow pool of eligible, licensed, professional drivers.

In addition to a nationwide shortage of drivers, our local markets are also experiencing a shortage of willing and qualified labor. Unskilled laborers fill a position for Waste Pro called “helper” – the second person that staffs our Horticulture and Bulk routes. Recent and ongoing changes to unemployment benefits, combined with stimulus checks and other enhanced government assistance programs, make it more attractive for many people to not work rather than to get up daily and work in a manually labor-intensive environment, such as ours.

This is not simply a Waste Pro issue or solid waste collection concern. The impact of the driver shortage, while not new, continues to spread throughout the United States. All roadway transport industries from over-the-road trucking, gas tankers, rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft as well as hospitality industries such as restaurants, bars, and hotels are feeling the effect.

The Flager Beach Business Bureau stated in a letter to Governor Desantis earlier in April, “There is a crisis brewing that needs your immediate attention. We know how to compete with and against each other, we compete with the weather and hurricanes but never had to compete with our government.” The labor pool shortage is unsustainable and it is during these challenging times that we must come together and support our industry and our communities we serve.

Waste Pro is actively working to recruit and train new drivers and helpers to cover existing routes and to manage the volume changes. We have increased our efforts in local job fairs, increased advertising efforts, launched retention bonus plans as well as new driver referral bonuses.”