Letter to the Editor: Baltimore City Should Suspend Recycling Trash Collection

Baltimore City is in the midst of a trash crisis because COVID-19 is hampering sanitation crews from picking up waste on their regular routes on a regular basis in many areas of the city. The problem is mostly centered around recycling collections. Some areas have not had their trash collected for many weeks. The trash is piling up and fouling communities and attracting rats.

It’s time for the Baltimore City government to suspend all recycling trash collection until the COVID-19 emergency has passed. The Department of Public Works (DPW) should collect all household trash at least once a week (and preferably twice a week) on regular trash days, without limits on how much rubbish a household can be put out for collection and no matter how the garbage is contained.

The government can regulate how people go to school, work, church, and restaurants and bars, but they won’t do away with recycling trash collection during a public health emergency? They have stopped bulk trash pickups until we get the all-clear sign. There is more and more evidence that recycling is actually costing the city money anyway, so we might even save some money in the long run.

It is time for Baltimore City to acknowledge that they have a crisis on their hands and act accordingly by ending recycling trash collection for the foreseeable future.

Sean Tully

Baltimore

Feature Image by Carabo Spain from Pixabay