ST. LOUIS – St. Louis city is taking additional steps Monday morning to address the problem of trash not being picked up.
The Head of City Streets, Traffic and Refuse, Betherny Williams, shared that she is concerned about the trash collection issue and is doing what she can to solve the problem.
One video shows a south city neighborhood near Taft and Morganford where trash had been piling up. Locals called the overflowing trash a mess and just plain nasty. There were many calls and emails from tenants complaining about the lack of trash pick-up service that they pay for. On Thursday, June 23, a city trash truck lot and garage were shown to be filled with what appeared to be broken down trucks. The next day, Williams acknowledged that only about half of the city’s 50-truck fleet was in working order.
Starting Monday morning, the city is adding a second shift of trash truck mechanics so workers can fix trucks in the evening and hopefully have them ready for the following day. Williams said the city also needs drivers so they are continuing to pay a $3,000 signing bonus.
“We know it is a problem and just as much as this is a problem for the citizens – I’m a citizen and it’s a probe across the city because of the amount of trash we are seeing,” Williams said. “Those pictures are sent to me every day and I forward them and I share them. I’m driving around the alleys trying to figure out how can we better collect this.”
Williams said the city is hiring a private contractor to help the refuse department with smarter trash pick-up strategies. The city is also planning to buy new trash trucks.