Republic Services Announces Operations Changes

Republic Services wishes to notify the public of changes it is making to its operations in light of recent global events:

*Non-essential office workers are working remotely
*We are employing staggered start times and enhanced fitness for duty standards for our front-line workers
*For any employee testing positive, or having to care for a family member who has tested positive, or are quarantined by their doctor, they will have ten additional days of paid PTO so they do not have to worry about their pay suffering or dipping into PTO they already have plans for
*As there are more people out and about and cars parked on the street, please stay safe and keep kids out of the streets on collection day and to provide room for the collection trucks to get to the cans.

NEW POLICIES:

*We are temporarily suspending any curbside Bulky Waste pickup and any community Bulky Waste Days will be rescheduled
*To minimize drivers getting out of the curb and handling material, we prefer to collect cart content only. Any extra material left outside of the cart must be sealed tightly in a bag
*We are anticipating a 30 percent increase in residential solid waste volume. If we see a consistent increase in people leaving more out of the bag, we may work with municipalities to encourage people to right size their cans
*If we see significant impacts to our workforce and have to prioritize pickup, we will prioritize in this order: solid waste, yard debris/organics, recycling. If we need to landfill recycling, we anticipate receiving a concurrence for DEQ. Additionally, if our processors have to close their doors, we won’t have anywhere to take it. This is not currently the case, but I want you to be aware that we – along with all of the other haulers in the state and in our industry association, along with County, Regional and State government – are thinking through as many potential issues as we can.

For more information, please see the attached  letter Oregon Refuse and Recycling Association sent to the Governor’s office earlier this week addressing solid waste collection and processing as an essential service.