Ice-Snow Combo Causing Waste Pick-Up Delays, Boom For Travel Agents
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Outside Teri Kylander's house, her two kids happily assemble a snow fort nearly 4-feet high.
Nearby, and growing much higher without much effort, are piles of garbage at the edge of several driveways.
Monday's freezing rain caused several trash collectors to delay pick up this week, and that's after some had delays last week during the subzero blast.
"Last week we just kind of gave them the benefit of the doubt because it was so cold and they have to be outside," Kylander said. "But again, we're just kind of having an abundance of trash now this week."
Her trash collector is Suburban Waste Services, which told WCCO that Monday's ice storm was the first time in their 10-and-a-half years of business that they have had to delay pickup. Waste Management also cited the icy roads and dangerous cold as reasons why service slowed Monday and the week prior.
Sherburne County Government posted on Facebook Monday that, "After the battling the ice storm, our plow drivers need some rest," giving them the evening off before getting back on the road Tuesday morning.
No matter how you put it, the recent run of rough winter weather has been taxing. It is why a rush of people have their sights set outside of Minnesota with the help of A1 Travel in Edina.
"It's been even crazier than usual," said travel agent Maureen McKamey. "We've had people just call us or email us and say, 'Get me out of here now, I don't want to deal with this anymore.'"
An immediate escape to warm climates is tough, but not impossible, says McKamey. Most people simply appreciate knowing their day in the sun will come soon.
"They want to be able to say, 'Hey, I'm going somewhere tropical in a month or two or three,' because then they know that even when it's cold outside here, they have something that's going to be much better in the future," McKamey said.
She says airfare schedules are typically released 11 months out. That means if people start planning today, they could possibly escape the winter blues of January 2020.