Westside residents take action amid trash crisis; COJ to address ongoing pickup issues

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A troubling situation at a Westside apartment complex where residents grapple with an ongoing trash crisis.

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People said West Creek Apartments on 103rd Street have not seen a trash pickup in over four months, prompting residents and the city to take drastic measures.

“It is ridiculous. It is sad. People should not be forced to live like this,” Jacksonville Councilman Rahman Johnson said.

Jacksonville Johnson refers to the eyesore at West Creek and Grassy Pond Apartments.

For the past four months, the residents have not had their trash collected. Johnson says this caused residents to take matters into their own hands.

“In one of the units, they set their garbage bin on fire,” Johnson said.

You can see the burnt marks inside and outside of the bin. We asked why would they do this.

“Because no one was picking up the trash. There was nowhere to pick up the trash. So, they figured if you are not going to pick it up, then I’ll burn it up,” Johnson said.

Councilman Johnson explains what stopped Waste Management from picking up their trash.

“Because the property owners aren’t paying the vendors to pick the trash up,” Johnson said.

He contacted the property owner of both apartments multiple times, but they have not responded. The City of Jacksonville intervened, sending crews to clean up the dumpsters earlier this week, with additional pickups Thursday.

Councilman Johnson warns that if this problem continues, he will push for a formal discussion with Waste Management to find a more sustainable solution for the residents.

“If one of the apartment complexes does not pick up their trash in a certain amount of time, it triggers them to notify the city. So, we don’t end up months later, looking at piles of garbage,” Johnson said.

Councilman Johnson said that multiple residents have contacted code enforcement about this issue.

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