Saturday’s collection will be trash only. Saturday’s recycling collection will move to Monday.
As you have likely heard, Republic Hauling’s labor union is currently on strike and the company is unable to provide trash and recycling collection to municipalities in our area, including Wakefield. Immediately upon learning of the situation, Wakefield’s Public Works Department quickly mobilized, secured trucks, and assembled staff to ensure that our residents were not impacted. In this summer heat, proper sanitation is a critical measure to prevent rodent infestations and the public health risks they could bring. As such, our staff has been working tirelessly to ensure collections are completed promptly.
On Friday, July 4, Wakefield will welcome thousands of people to our great community for a full day of activities and entertainment. Each year, Independence Day is the most labor-intensive day for Town staff. The individuals who will be working the events on Friday, and cleaning up after them, are the same crew members who will be performing trash and recycling collection on Saturday.
If you are a resident whose collection is typically on Friday, it will move to Saturday because of the holiday. Due to the increase in staff demand, we will be collecting trash only on Saturday. If this is your scheduled recycling week, please place your recycling out by 7 a.m. on Monday for pickup. The Monday route’s scheduled collections will not change.
At this time, we still don’t have a timeline for when Republic will be able to restore trash and recycling service, and we appreciate your patience during this fluid situation.
We’d also like to publicly acknowledge our hard-working Public Works staff and the outstanding work they have been doing over the last week. The health and safety of our community members is a top priority, and our crews have taken on new challenges to achieve this goal. We appreciate their commitment to servicing our residents.
If you have any questions, you can reach the Public Works office at 781-246-6301, ext. 4120. We hope you all have a safe and happy Independence Day.