If you’ve been walking around New York City this week, you’ve probably noticed it — bags stacked high, bins overflowing, and piles of trash lining the sidewalks.
The holdup on collection may be hard to miss, but considering what the city just went through with the snowstorm, some say it should be cut a little slack
The Department of Sanitation admits trash collection has fallen behind due to the recent snowstorm, but it is assuring New Yorkers it is on the case.
CBS News New York
DSNY crews working 12-hour shifts
The Department of Sanitation said Monday it is working as fast as possible to pick everything up, but added crews have been focused first on clearing the snow and thick ice from streets and sidewalks to make travel safe.
Trash collection, the agency admitted, has fallen behind, but the city said the work is very much underway.
“I know they are working with everything that they have to come up to speed and that will continue to be a focus for us,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.
Behind the scenes, hundreds of sanitation trucks are rolling out every shift, with crews working 12 hours at a time. Thousands of employees are on the job, pushing to get the city back on schedule as quickly as possible, officials said.
“Sometimes, we just got to be a little patient”
Some residents said Monday the city has to do a better job, but others asked for the irritated to have some perspective.
“It’s bad. Honestly, I can’t think of another thing to say. It’s repulsive every day,” Ramy Rayan said.
“We understand the snow is going to slow everybody down, so sometimes, we just got to be a little patient. You know what I mean? A little bit of patience,” Hell’s Kitchen resident Frankie Legs added.
There is at least one thing positive. With the cold weather, the trash is frozen. Therefore, it’s not rotting and smelling up the streets.