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Supply chain issues lead to a slower trash pickup schedule in Syracuse, N.Y.
© 2022 Jesse Cook -
Bags of trash sit on the curb on Euclid Avenue in Syracuse, N.Y.
© 2022 Jesse Cook -
More and more garbage cans sit roadside, waiting for dump trucks to pick them up in Syracuse, N.Y.
© 2022 Jesse Cook -
The streets of Syracuse, N.Y. boast trash bag-shaped blotches across the sidewalk.
© 2022 Jesse Cook -
More and more trash bins in Syracuse, N.Y. staple to the sidewalk waiting to be picked up by dump trucks.
© 101 Jesse Cook -
Like a chicken in every pot, a garbage can in every driveway welcomes visitors to Syracuse, N.Y. homes as the trash build-up increases.
© 202 Jesse Cook
Supply chain issues are negatively affecting trash pickup in Syracuse and locals are feeling the pile-up harshly. Trash outlines many residential streets in the city following the shortage of truck drivers in March and ongoing supply chain halts.
Trash and recycling pickup is behind schedule, so garbage continues to build up on street corners. The Department of Public Works says they are prioritizing trash pickup over recycling, however both are seeing drastic increases.
Syracuse University junior Leo Silverman said the junk is all too noticeable. He said, “My trash actually is piling up to a varying degree. The dumpster is completely overfilled by this point.”
LISTEN: Syracuse residents react as garbage builds up on local streets. I've got the story on the junk funk for @NCCNewsOnline https://t.co/Yzx0eVZ3xl pic.twitter.com/yTkwa6tRFk
— Jesse A. Cook (@JesseCookTV) April 12, 2022
Around the S.U. campus, weekend party residue is far from unusual, but Livingston Street resident and Syracuse junior Liam Crowley said the pileup is more than expected. He said, “The college vibe; obviously you see a lot of alcohol cans and bottles and everything, and sometimes it looks scattered just from a party that was going on. Other times, it looks like trash has been knocked over.”
He continued that the combination of a party school and the supply chain debacles makes for a bad situation. He said, “I think that there’s just been a lack of attention to picking them up if certain people feel that trash was just scattered on purpose.”
The litter comes in the form of scattered pizza boxes and glass bottles, or as multiple garbage bins sequestered against the curb, huddled together under rotten food and paper. For some, like Crowley, the stench is a greeting as he leaves his house.
He said, “Down the street, yup. I’ve noticed it’s kind of a recurring theme, not just on Livingston, but other streets around and off-campus.”
Many in the area have watched the garbage grow without explanation and the piles are becoming eyesores.
Resident Ally Vuono said there needs to be change. She said, “Yeah I think especially with the warmer months when snow isn’t covering everything anymore, they need to pay more attention to it because it just doesn’t look nice.”
The garbage continues to mount and the sidewalks become more and more cluttered.
