Chicken Litter: Trenton cannot do more with less
Chicken Little may have thought the sky had fallen last week as a couple hundred chicken wing tips littered Chambers Street near Chuck’s Cafe.
Apparently, a bag burst containing discarded parts of the chicken wings and city sanitation employees left them in the street.
“It doesn’t happen that often. We open at 10 a.m. and if there are any problems we take care of them. Don’t be too hard on the workers. They have a lot of trash to collect in a day,” Afifi Shabaka, Chuck’s Cafe owner, said.
Shabaka said his restaurant looks bad when these situations occur. This is not a question of being overly tough on sanitation employees but it’s their job. And in a thought that aligns with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., they should attempt to excel, even as garbage collectors.
Trenton drowns in trash, under siege by garbage and apathy as mattresses, television sets and weeds destroy a once proud city.
What ever happened to displaying pride in one’s work, giving a strong performance as an employee, no matter your job title?
This serves as no request for ironfisted oversight by supervisors but employees must perform basic requirements.
A time existed when employees would grab a shovel and broom to collect trash that missed the well of garbage trucks.
We must return to good work habits, particularly regarding matters that deal with trash.
Furthermore, city leaders should rethink rules regarding trash, especially instances when landlords curb an entire house worth of crap set out after residents exit rental properties.
Imagine pulling up to a residence and seeing a chicken crap load of furniture and other items from an entire house.
Plus, how many employees should work a garbage truck? Occasionally, a driver and one person attempt to do the work of three people.
In matters of trash, Trenton can ill afford supporting that fateful adage of doing more with less.