![]() “The proof is out there - it’s undeniable that there is a problem. Other solutions, like hiring temporary workers to support staff in times of higher demand or using technology to improve collection, were available, but not implemented. He said his office, for example, was set to failure because it didn’t have the funds or the political power to implement solutions to actually reduce waste and litter in the city. The pandemic just made the cracks give and everything collapsed, including his office, which was dismantled to make up with the city’s reduced budget.Įsposito said the city has the initiatives and the capacity to plan and manage situations like this better, but said there’s a lack of political will and further resources to implement them. He wants to help solve the problem by raising money for more gear. And that the gloves he got are not puncture-proof, so they don’t protect from needles, nails and other hazards. He said picking up trash with the big plastic face shield he got is impossible. The city has given sanitation workers masks and gloves, Haigler said, but not the proper ones for their job. But instead of blaming everyone, he wanted to focus on a solution and started a fundraiser effort to get N95 masks, gloves, and cleaning supplies for sanitation workers. The collection is bound to be delayed if 10% of your workforce is out fighting COVID, he said. Meanwhile, the union representing 1,100 sanitation workers said those are excuses for mismanagement and lack of leadership. Mayor Jim Kenney has blamed the weather, while Streets Commissioner Carlton Williams says delays are caused by a 25% increase in trash tonnage and a staff shortage of caused by the pandemic. Rubbish and recycling 311 complaints are still twice the amount of those received pre-COVID. The result: an extended banquet for rodents and flies, and smelly sidewalks blocked with trash bags and cans for wheelchair-users and pedestrians to navigate under the oppressive heat. In some areas, the city suspended recycling. ![]() Although the Sanitation Division of the city’s Streets Department has slowly caught up on collection, the city is still behind on trash pickup days. Philadelphia residents have not lately been happy with their trash collection - or lack thereof. “It’s just the beat that your body takes, the mental, the emotions, the elements you deal with, the rain… And, you know, sometimes you gotta deal with the public who aren’t happy with their trash and everything,” Haigler said. Last week, he worked for 13 days straight, from 7 a.m. But working as a city sanitation worker has been the most humbling - and insight-generating- occupation of his 30 years. Haigler has worked tough jobs, including construction, to feed his three kids. WHYY thanks our sponsors - become a WHYY sponsor
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