As trash piles up in Oakland, residents voice frustrations and ask for help
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — For weeks, residents in Oakland said trash has been piling up on the streets.
They told KDKA-TV that city crews hadn't touched it, so we looked into the matter. On Wednesday morning, Virgila Place in Oakland resembled a dump.
"I feel like there's more trash here than other areas of the city," Pitt student Daniel Evans said.
Boxes, construction debris, and trash littered the sidewalks and fronts of homes.
"We may be college students, but we live here. I think everyone has a right to clean streets," Pitt student Aaron Kibler said.
Around this time of year, trash can become a problem in Oakland with students moving in and out. The city said on Tuesday alone it collected 100 tons of trash in Oakland. The city added that this mess happened because of the construction material, which was piled in with recyclable materials.
"A clear contamination. It's also contamination to put that in curbside disposal," Pittsburgh Public Works spokesperson Emily Bourne said.
Contaminated recycling or trash can't be taken in certain trucks because it can cause problems. The city said the proper way to dispose of this material would be through a private dumpster. City crews were called in to get rid of it Wednesday morning after KDKA-TV took neighbors' concerns to city leaders.
"It might look to the public like it was an accident, or it was missed, or it was done in error. Sometimes, it's actually a foreman who has to get called out with a separate vehicle," Bourne said.
The homeowners were given a warning this time. It could become a citation if they continue to not put out the trash in the proper can.
"It's important that we are disposing of materials properly," Bourne said.
For students who are about to be living in Oakland for at least the next eight months, they hope sites like this aren't routine.
"It's not great. You would like to see them take better care because there are people who live here," Kibler said.
When it comes to debris like furniture, the city says that can be put out with your trash and it should be taken.