Detroit residents are tired of garbage days being skipped as trash has lined their streets since August

DETROIT – Residents in a Detroit neighborhood said they are fed up with garbage days being skipped as trash has been lining the streets since August.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan held a meeting Wednesday (Dec. 13) night to discuss plans to increase the frequency of trash collection in the city.

“If we did put out on dump days, they would pick it up, but lately, as time has changed, sometimes they pick it up, and sometimes they don’t,” said one woman.

Residents insist bulk trash pick up is being skipped in their neighborhood on Pacific Avenue.

“Well, it’s kind of heartbreaking because years back, we never had any dumping like this on our street,” the woman said.

The overflow of trash on the grounds has made it uncomfortable for folks living on the streets with the site of raccoons and other rodents.

“Rats are coming around,” the woman said. “I’ve called a couple of times for help.”

In the meeting Wednesday night, we learned they’re not the only ones dealing with the problem with trash.

“They never pick it up in the alleys, so we have to move it to the street, and then it takes two or three weeks to move from the street,” said a man.

All that would change under Duggan’s newly proposed plan, as bulk pick-up would be collected weekly, along with recycling, yard waste, and construction debris, which are not currently picked up.

“I think it’s about time to try yours got the same level of trash removal as the surrounding communities,” said Duggan.

Higher service levels will mean a higher cost of around $12 million annually. The funds would come from reprioritizing the city’s budget and phasing in costs.

“We send out 12 DPW crews at the cost of $6 million a year to pick this stuff up,” Duggan said. “It is so much cheaper to just pay the garbage trucks that are already on the street.”

Detroit City Council will have the ultimate say in the matter as they’ll be voting this upcoming January.

In the meantime, the city said they would go out and help the neighbors on Pacific Avenue clean up the trash.