JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — On Monday, the City of Jacksonville will suspend curbside recycling collections.
The effort is to prioritize collecting yard waste and household garbage.
Recycling is still an option, Northeast Floridians would have to drop off their items at one of 14 sites in the city.
The initiative is expected to start on Monday, however, people are already filling up the dumpsters. One Jacksonville mother could not wait.
Jennifer Dela Cruz dumped a bag of recyclables at the site near Riverside Park. She said the trash situation in her Ortega Farms community is bad.
"They've only picked up recycling twice in the past two months," Dela Cruz explained.
She went on to say that trash will sit outside for weeks. It's to the point, she said, her neighborhood gives off a foul stench. The Jacksonville resident added how she's still waiting for her trash to be collected.
"I hope they [city officials] solve it pretty fast," Dela Cruz said.
Mayor Lenny Curry recently said the changes were a temporary solution.
To Brynn Langrange, he wants to know how long are the temporary changes supposed to last.
Langrange said he's concerned people will abuse the drop-off sites for garbage.
"When that begins to happen, you've mixed it up. It defeats the purpose," Langrange explained. "Not only don't want to see, it doesn't need to be around here."
Before dropping off recyclable items on Monday, the city can collect glass, cardboard, plastic and paper.
Jacksonville residents are asked to not leave the items in plastic bags. The city is expected to drop off the items at the Material Recycling Facility.