Pittsboro, NC – Due to a shortage of Commercial Driver License (CDL) drivers, seven Chatham County Solid Waste & Recycling Collection Centers will close temporarily. Starting Thursday, September 23, the following Collection Centers will be closed: Asbury, Bennett, Crutchfield Crossroads, Goldston, Hadley, Harpers Crossroads, and Marthas Chapel.
“Solid Waste & Recycling hauls all of our own containers from the 12 Collection Centers,” said Kevin Lindley, Environmental Quality Director. “When we are fully staffed, we have five CDL drivers; due to unexpected circumstances, we currently have only two. While we are working as hard as possible to fill the vacant positions, the labor market for CDL drivers is very limited at this time. We have considered all of our options and have determined that reducing the number of centers serviced by our remaining drivers is our best option to continue to provide this needed service with our limited resources.”
The Bonlee, Cole Park, Moncure, Pittsboro, and Siler City Collection Centers will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday. All Collection Centers will close on Sundays. The Moncure Collection Center is usually closed on Wednesdays but will be open during this time.
The five Collection Centers that will be open are located at:
Bonlee: 1528 Elmer Moore Road, BonleeCole Park: 11632 US Hwy 15/501 North, Chapel HillMoncure: 2855 Old US Hwy 1, MoncurePittsboro: 180 Martin Luther King Jr. Road, PittsboroSiler City: 135 Silk Hope Road, Siler City
The Collection Centers are available to residents who have a 2021 decal. Residents must show a decal every time they use the centers. With fewer centers open, residents should expect these five centers to be busy.
“While we understand closing Collection Centers will cause inconveniences for Chatham County residents,” continued Lindley, “we simply do not have the drivers we need to manage all 12 centers. We ask for residents’ patience as we work to stabilize our driving staff.”
The Collection Centers will re-open when the Solid Waste & Recycling division is properly staffed. Anyone who is interested in working as a driver and heavy equipment operator should visit the Chatham County Employment Opportunity webpage to review the job description and apply- here
For future updates, please visit the Solid Waste & Recycling website at chathamcountync.gov/recycle. Residents can also contact the Main Office at (919) 542-5516 Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. or anytime at recycle@chathamcountync.gov.