The Byrnes Mill Recycling Center is now closed on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Previously, the center, at 4197 Lower Byrnes Mill Road near Hwy. 30, was closed on Sundays and Mondays, but as of June 5, the city changed the operating hours, so the plant is now closed on Wednesdays, too.
The Recycling Center serves customers from all around Jefferson County and beyond and has more than 1,000 visitors a month, city officials reported.
Staffing shortages led the city to close an additional day a week, said Melinda Benedict, who is both the city administrator and city clerk.
Benedict said she is not sure if the Wednesday closure will be temporary.
Byrnes Mill Mayor Rob Kiczenski said the city is training a recycling center employee, Zoey Rock, to help out at Byrnes Mill City Hall on Wednesdays, leaving the recycling plant short-handed that day.
Byrnes Mill Public Works supervisor Bob Schmidt also helps at the Recycling Center, Kiczenski said.
He said Benedict and Jennifer Siegel, the city’s deputy city clerk, handle the day-to-day operations at City Hall.
Benedict said the city is looking to hire a new recycling attendant but is finding it difficult to get someone to work for $15 an hour, which is the pay for the position.
The city received a $54,982.80 grant earlier this year from the St. Louis-Jefferson Solid Waste Management District to help the city fund the Recycling Center’s hauling and operational costs.