Garbage and recyclables pile up as omicron takes its toll

By TRAVIS LOLLER
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The omicron variant is sickening so many sanitation workers around the U.S. that some cities have had to delay or suspend garbage and recycling pickup, angering residents shocked that governments can’t perform this most basic of functions. The slowdowns have caused recycling bins full of Christmas gift boxes and wrapping paper to languish on Nashville curbs. Trash bags have piled up on Philadelphia streets. And uncollected yard waste has blocked sidewalks in Atlanta. The highly contagious variant hit just when Americans were generating a lot of trash — over the Christmas holidays.