Reduced Street Sweeping & Recycling This Week

Ald. Gene Schulter (47th Ward) sent out an email blast, forwarding a notice from Streets & Sanitation, and Ald. Mary Ann Smith (48th) sent out a similar notice.  We'll have to assume the same applies in the 46th Ward, whose aldermanic service office has been completely non-communicative since July 9th:

From: Streets & Sanitation
Flood Clean-Up Update for Aldermanic Offices
Tuesday, July 27, 2010 - 5:30 PM

The heavy rains and flooding that Chicago experienced this weekend has left many residents with the unpleasant task of cleaning out their basements and throwing out many possessions that have been tainted by the flood water. Because flood debris can be filthy and full of bacteria, Streets & Sanitation considers its removal to be a public health and safety service priority.

Accordingly, the department will be putting out 60 additional garbage trucks and crews for the rest of the week citywide to assist with bulk pick-ups of flood damaged items. We will be doing this in addition to putting out our normal amount of garbage trucks which will handle our regular garbage pick-up and additional flood debris collection whenever possible. All told, Streets & San will have approximately 430 garbage trucks on duty citywide.

In order to generate these 60 extra garbage crews the department will be reducing recycling pick-ups and street sweeping for the remainder of the week. Both services will be performed in lesser numbers, but once again addressing health and safety issues takes precedence over other operations.