The Solid Waste Association of North America (“SWANA”) outlined in a January 13th letter to the Chairman of the Rules and Legislative Oversight Committee of the Baltimore, Maryland, City Council the impact of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is currently having on the:
. . . collection of solid waste and recycling in the United States.
SWANA states the letter was submitted in response to an oversight hearing that the Baltimore City Council was holding in regards to solid waste collection delays.
SWANA describes itself as the “leading association for solid waste professionals in the United States.” The association cites a membership of more than 10,000.
The letter initially notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Johns Hopkins University have estimated that more than 1 million new cases of COVID-19 were reported on a daily basis in the week prior to January 13th. It then describes the impact on solid waste collecting stating:
Solid waste departments have seen a sharp uptick in absences over the past month, due to the highly contagious Omicron variant. Combined with the seasonal increase in residential waste and recycling that typically occurs during the holidays, this is causing collection delays and the temporary suspension of certain services throughout the United States. Just in the past few weeks, collection delays and/or suspensions of certain collection services (e.g., recycling, yard waste} has been reported in Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, New York City, Philadelphia and much of south Florida. According to Waste Dive, a leading solid waste trade publication, "unlike previous case surges, which were more regional, this latest wave has been felt across the country." A CNN story earlier this week reported on the staffing shortages that Omicron is causing in a number of industries, including sanitation workers.
A copy of the letter can be downloaded here.
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