City sanitation crews back on the job

Trash collection to continue on normal route this week

City sanitation crews are back on the job this week and they are asking for the city’s patience as they try to catch up on garbage collection routes that were suspended last week after winter storms battered the area with snow, sleet, ice and freezing rain.

Anthony Traylor, city sanitation supervisor, said crews began curbside pickups Monday and will continue with the normal schedule for the rest of the week — Ward 1, Monday; Ward 2, Tuesday; Ward 3, Wednesday and Ward 4, Thursday.

He said Friday will be used as a catch-up day if necessary.

Traylor said there is also a lot more garbage to collect this week.

In addition to multiple rounds of storms that brought wintry precipitation that blanketed the area for days and began melting over the weekend, city employees were also off work Feb. 16 for Presidents’ Day.

“It’s thick out there. We just started in Ward 1 today and there’s a lot of trash. There are (solid waste) cans everywhere,” Traylor said Monday.

Sanitation crews typically work from about 6:30 a.m. until about 3 p.m. to pick up solid waste and haul it to the Union County Landfill before the landfill closes at 5 p.m., Traylor said.

He said crews got out at their usual time Monday but with so much more solid waste to collect, the last two garbage trucks did not wrap up Ward 1 and begin heading to the landfill until about 4:20 p.m.

The city rotates three sidearm loaders to collect solid waste that is left curbside in city-issued garbage cans. On Monday, city workers used one of the city’s two rear-end loaders to help keep up with the additional loads, Traylor said.

He said crews will run their normal routes and work earlier and later hours as circumstances allow to keep pace with collections this week.

“Thank God we’re back at work. We’re going to work from daylight to dark and we ask the public to be patient with us,” Traylor said.

For more information or to report any issues, call the Department of Public Works at 870-8634244 or the Sanitation Department at 870-8814185.