It’s a city service you couldn't live without: trash pickup, typically running like clockwork.

But within the last several days, for some areas of the city, something is amiss.

Rose Marie, who did not want us to use her last name, put her trash out for collection in front of her Bay Ridge home for a Saturday pick up. 


What You Need To Know

  • NY1 recieved reports starting on Saturday of missed trash collections in parts of Staten Island and Brooklyn

  • The Department of Sanitation said Monday it had an "abnormal" number of missed pickups in the last several days

  • The department is examining whether there is an intentional slowdown

"I'd like somebody to explain,” she told NY1 on Monday. “We pay our taxes. We put it out the day it's designated, it's supposed to be out. And they don't pick it up."

But New York's strongest never came. 

Same goes for her neighbor, Dominic Coluccio. 

"They picked up the recycling and the metal and glass and paper when they were supposed to,” Coluccio said. “But this is the smelly trash."

Across southern Brooklyn and Staten Island, residents were reporting that the Department of Sanitation was MIA. A Department of Sanitation spokesperson confirmed to NY1 those reports started coming in over the weekend. 

NY1 has learned the department is investigating whether there is an intentional slowdown happening within sanitation. 

In a statement, Joshua Goodman, assistant commissioner at the Department of Sanitation, said:

"We are aware that some residents are experiencing delays. These people may leave their material out — 9,500 DSNY employees work to collect 12,000 tons of trash and recycling each day, in every part of the city, and we are coming to get this material as quickly as we can."

Asked about it earlier in the day, Mayor Bill de Blasio said he would look into the problem. 

These missed trash picks ups are happening ahead of the mayor's new vaccine mandate for all city workers. Sanitation workers must be vaccinated by 5 p.m. on Friday. If not, on November 1, they will be suspended without pay.

About 64% of sanitation workers are vaccinated. 

Hundreds of city workers marched across the Brooklyn Bridge on Monday protesting the new mandate. 

As for these taxpayers, they hope their trash gets picked up soon.