Trash Stays On Curbs Across The U.S. As Covid Infects Sanitation Workers

Garbage has been piling up in the streets as waste crews are understaffed due to the outbreak of coronaviruses.

A person walks past a pile of garbage.

Alexi Rosenfeld is a photographer.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on Thursday that some parts of the Atlanta area have had delays in recycling collection due to the Covid-19 testing.

In Louisville, Kentucky, waste management crews were so understaffed that they temporarily suspended collection of yard waste, bulky items and some recyclables in order to prioritize smelly garbage, the Associated Press reported Friday.

The city of Detroit suspended penalties for leaving garbage containers at the curb after announcing that trash and recycling pickup would be delayed by up to two days.

Due to Covid-19, the number of city employees unavailable has caused the delay in trash and recycling pickup in Philadelphia.

Garbage pickup was stopped in parts of the Seattle area this week as drivers for Republic Services stopped work in support of striking employees in San Diego.

Thousands of teachers, firefighters, police and other workers have been called in to work because of the rapid spread of the omicron variant of the coronaviruses. In the waste disposal sector, this wave of infections has been complicated by intense winter weather that has damaged infrastructure or made driving unsafe in some parts of the U.S. The waste management industry has been supported by Covid-19 relief programs, receiving about $812 million in loans during the first round of Paycheck Protection Program funding in 2020, followed by $40.7 million in the second round last spring, Waste Dive reported.

The quote is crucial.

Philadelphia Streets Commissioner Carlton Williams told the AP that they can't just hire to replace people who are out. We have to give them time to recover. Williams said that 10% to 15% of the city's 900-person Sanitation workforce is off work on any given day.

The number is big.

$45,000 a year. That is how much a new waste disposal driver could make in Tennessee. The city's wages have recently been raised.

There was aContra.

The Commissioner of the New York City Department of Sanitation said that 25% of their employees were out sick in January. The city was able to avoid suspending services by cancelling employees days off.

Garbage and recycles pile up as omicron takes its toll.