PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia's controller confirmed what most residents already knew from experience — trash pick-up fell way behind schedule during the pandemic. But she found a larger concern about pick-up delays.
Controller Rebecca Rhynhart found a 30% reduction in on-time pick-ups during the pandemic.
"53% of trash was picked up on time this last fiscal year, compared to about 83% before the pandemic," she said.
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But what Rhynhart also found was that not every neighborhood waited equally, and worse, the inequity existed before the pandemic.
"Center City, parts of the Northeast had on-time rates 90% or higher while other areas, South Philadelphia, West Philadelphia and parts of Northwest Philadelphia had much lower on-time rates, between 65% and 75%," she detailed.
Rhynhart said she knows the Streets Department is working to improve on-time rates overall, but that they should make sure the solutions are equitable.
A city spokesman said officials are still studying the data but the challenges of the pandemic are well-known, and he thanked Rhynhart — with a note of exasperation — for validating them.
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