Garbage and recyclables pile up as omicron takes its toll on sanitation workers

By |2022-01-14T17:49:58-05:00January 14th, 2022|Uncategorized|

Enlarge this image Trash sits out for collection on a Philadelphia street on Thursday. The omicron variant is sickening so many sanitation workers that waste collection in Philadelphia and other cities has been delayed or suspended. Matt Rourke/AP Matt Rourke/AP The omicron variant is sickening so many sanitation workers around the U.S. that some cities have had to delay or suspend garbage or recycling pickup, angering residents shocked that governments can't perform this most basic of functions. The slowdowns have caused recycling bins full of Christmas gift boxes and wrapping paper to languish on Nashville curbs, trash bags to pile up on Philadelphia streets, and uncollected yard waste — grass clippings, leaves, branches — to block sidewalks in Atlanta. "It's just a shame," said Madelyn Rubin, who lives in Jacksonville, Florida, where officials have halted recycling.