Shortage of sanitation workers in New York City? The streets are full of garbage and no one collects them

As the deadline for vaccination orders for city employees approaches on Friday, there are reports that Sanitation workers in New York City have been "delaying work." From Brooklyn to Staten Island, complaints about street garbage are on the rise.

According to Foxny, some residents of Brooklyn's Midwood district complained that their garbage had not been cleaned up for days. People say piles of garbage are piled up on the street for days until the health department comes to collect the garbage.

Similar problems exist in Southern Brooklyn and Staten Island. Citizens said: "This is really dirty, it is simply unacceptable. ”

At present, about 62% of sanitation workers have been vaccinated. As of 5 p.m. on the 5th, if there is not a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, employees will be suspended without pay.

The mayor acknowledged some of the problems, but said he would address them. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday: "We found that the total amount of garbage cleaned up in some areas is simply not enough. We are going to go to the trade unions today, and this problem must be solved. ”

The Department of Sanitation issued a statement saying, "We are aware of the current problem of delays in recycling. Residents leave their garbage on the streets, and the 9,500 employees of the cleaning bureau collect 12,000 tons of garbage every day in every part of the city and recycle it, and we continue to work. But the chairman of the union membership representing the sanitation workers disagreed with the claim and blamed this week's storm for causing delays in recycling. He also warned that the mandatory requirement for vaccines could lead to early retirement for some workers, leading to a shortage of sanitation workers cleaning up the garbage.

(Compiled: sw)