Kimble Recycling & Disposal, Inc. team members are working diligently to service the waste and recycling needs of our Northeast Ohio communities. Unfortunately, the effects of the pandemic are still being felt in the waste industry as record amounts of solid waste continue to be placed at the curb due to more individuals working from home and spending more time at home. This increased waste stream is coming at a time where our customers also have extra yard waste and more waste associated with the summer months. The Kimble team is making every effort to collect and dispose of the increased waste streams, but this additional collection does require additional time and requires more team members. In response, Kimble team members have taken an all-hands-on deck approach to work the extra hours necessary to get the job done. We appreciate the sacrifices our dedicated team members are making during this difficult time to get the job done and in dealing with the pandemic. However, even with our increased overtime efforts, federal law limits the hours our CDL drivers may remain on the road. Safe collection remains our top priority for customers, team members and the general public.
To address the increase in solid waste volume, Kimble has been aggressively seeking and training new CDL drivers to add to its growing team. However, the recent labor pool shortage, and historic truck driver shortage, has resulted in significantly fewer qualified applicants to safely service our customers. To address the labor pool shortage, Kimble has devoted significant resources to increase the training of inexperienced applicants and assisting applicants in obtaining their CDL, in addition to providing hiring and referral bonuses, wage increases and a driver incentive program. These efforts, combined with the ever-increasing likelihood that our communities will resume their pre-pandemic lifestyles, provide optimism this difficult time will soon be over.
Kimble makes every effort to prioritize the pickup of garbage to avoid inconveniencing its customers. This may cause the delay of recycling and yard waste pick up. Once we determine that a route delay will occur, we alert the local government official and we also attempt to telephone customers for whom we possess a valid phone number. We ask that customers please continue to place their items curbside the night before their scheduled collection day and leave them there until collection is complete.
Kimble recognizes the inconvenience of service delays and is making every effort to hire and retain qualified team members in order to resume the exceptional service that our customers are accustomed to and deserve. We appreciate our customer’s patience while we progress through this difficult time.
Residents can assist by taking some of these actions:
- To speed up collection, try to place as much waste as possible in your container;
- Breakdown large items to conserve space in your container;
- Place your container in an open area away from parked cars, mailboxes and other stationary objects; and
- Attempt to reduce your overall waste generation through recycling and donating gently used items.
Again, we would like to thank our customers for their understanding in this time of need and we appreciate the opportunity to continue serving their neighborhoods.
Kimble is an equal opportunity employer and if you or a friend would like to learn more about joining our team, please visit our website at www.kimblecompanies.com/careers.
Our Customer Service Team is available at 800-201-0005. Live chat is also available at our website www.kimblecompanies.com.