Most Chicagoans’ garbage collection chores consist of taking out the trash to a dumpster or bin.
But some South Shore residents tired of excess litter obstructing storm drains have found themselves taking on additional tasks of professional waste haulers.
That’s garbage. Block clubs are designed to improve the safety and aesthetics of their communities, so removing trash from storm drains on occasion isn’t unwarranted. But the city should take a bigger role in assisting South Shore, as clearing junk and trash pickup are among the most basic necessities municipalities should provide.
The city’s Water Management Department says it is responsible for cleaning the inside of the drains — not the material piling up outside. And Streets and Sanitation Sanitation Commissioner Cole Stallard told WBEZ’s Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco that his department is doing the best it can to sweep the streets. Not so, say the residents.
Stallard says the volunteers should press on with their efforts, and 7th Ward Ald. Greg Mitchell’s office has lent equipment to constituents carrying out the cleanup.
The support, while encouraging, is clearly not enough. South Shore residents’ demands for more street-sweeping can’t be swept under the rug.
As South Shore resident Jenise Jonah put it, “If there is no street cleaning to prevent that debris, then it’ll just get worse.”
South Shore has racked up more reports of sanitation code violations through calls to 311, the city’s non-emergency hotline, than any other South Side neighborhood in the last five years, according to a WBEZ analysis.
Three other neighborhoods — Austin, West Town and Lincoln Park — have even more complaints than South Shore.
City officials should deploy more resources and launch educational campaigns in these communities to keep such problems at bay.
An overabundance of garbage doesn’t just smell foul. Built-up trash is detrimental to the environment, attracts rodents and others pests and can make it hard for vehicles, including ambulances, to drive through streets.
Professionals who handle human waste or sewage may be at increased risk of becoming ill from waterborne diseases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
South Shore residents could also endanger their health without proper training or protective gear when they accumulate waste in 50-gallon bags.
Their calls for help shouldn’t go out with the trash.
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