Women of Waste Pro – Alicia Harris,
Automated Side Load Residential Driver/Rear-Load Residential Recycling Driver
Division 107 Jacksonville, FL
For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Joy Kurtz
Corporate Communications Manager
Celebrating International Women’s Day
Women of Waste Pro – Alicia Harris,
Automated Side Load Residential Driver/Rear-Load Residential Recycling Driver
Division 107 Jacksonville, FL
JACKSONVILLE, FL – March 8.2024, Alicia Harris has been with the Waste Pro Jacksonville team for just shy of a year and is already making quite an impression. This dedicated community servant came to the company from the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA), where she was a city bus driver. Starting in customer service, she quickly moved to the driver’s seat after getting her CDL (Commercial Driver License) License and had her sights set on driving a school bus. However, a friend at the JTA who had already moved to Waste Pro suggested she consider joining the company. Some safety concerns had already started weighing on her choice to leave her previous role, propelling her to take a chance on a new career move.
After applying for an open position, she got the call that she got the job, and the rest, they say, is history. “This was my chance to still drive, be a part of the community, and work for a company that really put safety first,” Alicia says. After training to drive an Assisted Side-Load truck, she is now a leader on her recycling driving team. She has risen as a shining example and has already begun mentoring new drivers. She can also assist in rear-loading residential recycling routes and continues to offer to help when and where it is needed for her division.
Alicia is quick to share that her favorite part of her job is the people, not only getting to know her customers and enjoying the local neighborhoods but finding that one person, whether it is out in the community or someone she works with, that she can put a smile on their face. “I just like people, and it’s the joy I try to find each day that I can share with someone else.” Every day is different for Alicia, which she likes; she looks forward to a new day every time she walks through the door.
This outlook is also an extension of her home life, as Alicia is a mom to six active kids, the oldest being 22 and the youngest just turned 1. Recently married, her life is very busy; some may say she thrives in chaos. But she is known to find joy in it. She credits her local extended family for her support in maintaining a great work-life balance. The move to Waste Pro, she said, also gives her a better quality of life, and she can worry less. “My kids see firsthand that hard work pays off, and how important it is to find a career that makes you happy. It is worth it to come in and smile and always do your best! People see that, and you can be the difference in their day, so make it count!”
What is on the horizon for Alicia? Looking ahead, she hopes the next steps in her Waste Pro career will be learning to drive commercial and roll-off trucks and working up to be a team lead. She loves being a valued member of her division and will continue setting new goals as a wife, mom, and Woman of Waste Pro. To summarize, “I used to hate going to work but here I am, ready and excited to start each day!”
About Waste Pro USA
Waste Pro USA, Inc. operates in ten southeastern states and is one of the country’s fastest-growing privately-owned waste collection, recycling, processing, and disposal companies. With revenues projected to exceed $1.3 billion in 2024, Waste Pro serves over two million residential and 100,000 commercial customers from over 90 operating locations. Waste Pro is headquartered in Longwood, Florida, and maintains approximately 300 exclusive municipal contracts and franchises.