Aurora residents will have their recycling pickups reduced to every other week starting this week, an issue blamed on the Portage County Solid Waste Management District's driver shortage.

The city in the northwest corner of Portage County became the second city in recent weeks to have its service reduced, with Streetsboro's service also reduced to every other week recently. In recent days, the district also threatened to suspend service in Ravenna, whose contract had expired, but reversed the decision the next day and continued the service.

Bill Steiner, director of the district, said the driver shortage continues to affect his staff. 

"It's a safety issue," he said. "We can't have these drivers working 70 hours a week."

The move leaves Kent as the only city left with weekly recycling pickups. Steiner said he plans to meet with city leaders there in the days ahead.

"We need to move everyone to every other week until we can hire drivers and get them trained," he said.

Aurora, where recycling is picked up Monday through Thursday, will not see recycling trucks this week, Steiner said. Service will resume the week of Aug. 9.

Aurora Mayor Ann Womer Benjamin addressed the matter in her weekly "Mayor's update" on the city's Facebook page, stating that the move was being made "without any price accommodation." The update was posted Friday afternoon, and Steiner said the next morning that there would be an adjustment in rates for the time period that residents are affected.

"We are seriously pushing back because we have a contract, and we will do what it takes to secure ongoing, appropriate service for our residents," the mayor stated in the video. 

Steiner said drivers are now working so many hours that their safety, as well as that of others, is at risk. 

"The District apologizes for this inconvenience to the residents of Aurora," he said. "We are hopeful that we can increase our driver roster as quickly as possible and return to your weekly service."

Steiner said the district has seen drivers resign abruptly without giving notice, and is scrambling to fill vacancies on his staff. One driver has been hired, but it will take some time for him to be trained, he said.

Even before the driver shortage became an issue, Steiner has been working with area communities to increase rates because of rising costs, and a shrinking market for recycled materials. 

In 2019, the district attempted to implement a plan to standardize recycling rates in Portage County because of rising costs, and a drop in prices for recycled materials. However, the plan was dropped because public hearings were required, which could not be done during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, some townships, including Freedom, removed their recycling bins.