class=maintext>City officials have ordered trash pick-up be resumed for several Uptown businesses and residences.
The issue arose when a number of businesses on Court and West State streets received letters saying that as of Aug. 30, their trash could no longer be picked up in its usual manner.
Garbage was normally collected from a private alley located behind the businesses, which include World's Best Bagels, Athens Rental Management, Mediterranean Gardens, Goodfella's Pizza and Pawpurrs.
The letter, written by Joe Kasler, the director of the Athens-Hocking Recycling Center, informed the businesses that it was no longer feasible for the city's garbage trucks to drive down the alley.
According to the letter, Kasler's proposed solution was for the businesses to place their garbage on the curb at the corner of Court and West State streets.
There's no way I'm gonna make a 115-pound girl go out at 2:30 in the morning and carry trash down the alley to leave it on the street where it's gonna get all spread around and be an even bigger mess
said Bobbi Six, the owner of World's Best Bagels.
Many of the businesses continued to leave their garbage in the alley after receiving the letter, where it was not picked up for five straight days, from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4, Six said.
There was a mountain of [trash] back there Six said. She was forced to hire an outside contractor to clean up the mess.
Six and many other business owners took the issue to the city's Assistant Service Safety Director, Ray Hazlett, who ordered trash pick-up to be resumed.
We can't accept it. We have to pick the trash up Hazlett said. Basically
my standing instructions are: We pick up trash. Period. We gotta get it outta here.
According to Hazlett, the feasibility problem arose from the poor condition of the alley, which causes the dump trucks to rock back and forth and bump into surrounding businesses, causing damage to the buildings.
Part of the alley is owned by Tony Sylvester, the owner of Tony's Tavern, 7 W. State St., and part is owned by the Prokos family, who own the building at 9 W. State St., Hazlett said.
Hazlett said he informed waste department employees that, despite the inconvenience, they needed to continue to pick up the trash from the alley.
While the condition of the alley has not changed, trash collection for the area is back to normal.
City employees are researching several solutions to make the trash pick-up easier, including smaller dump trucks and small dumpsters for each business, Hazlett said.
Another possible solution is turning the alley over to the city of Athens so that it may be resurfaced and maintained.
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Adam Baldy, a senior in science education and World's Best Bagels employee, discards trash in the alleyway behind the restaurant Thursday evening. Trash collection is back to normal after service halted on Aug. 30.
