CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) — Residents in Chula Vista are taking matters into their own hands as trash collection workers continue honoring a picket line that stretches from the East Coast, affecting more than 283,000 people in the area.
Republic Services, the city's sole sanitation company, is experiencing service delays as local workers call out in solidarity with their counterparts in Boston, who are on strike to demand better pay and benefits.
Ricardo Lopez has been helping his neighbors by collecting and disposing of their trash himself.
"I went around and borrowed the neighbor's truck and started helping out the other neighbors and loading up the trash cans," Lopez said.
Lopez is carrying the load for 12 houses in his cul-de-sac.
"I'm on summer break right now, so like I said, I have a little bit of extra time, so I figured. Help out the neighbors, so frustration, yes, but at the same time, no big deal. We'll take care of it," Lopez said.
While some residents are handling the situation themselves, local businesses are seeing increased demand for their services.
Juan Aragon, owner of Low Cost Hauling, says his business has been receiving calls since Sunday to pick up trash.
"We started at 6 this morning. We've done around four trips to the land field, and we have seven other properties we got to attend to," Aragon said.
During a special city council meeting on Monday, city leaders decided not to declare a state of emergency regarding the trash pile-up. Such a declaration would have allowed city employees to collect trash themselves and work with other partners.
Chula Vista Mayor John McCann says if things don't improve by Thursday, that will change.
"We wanted to make sure that Republic had an opportunity to ramp up. We owed them because they do have a contract," McCann said.
The mayor added that Republic Services caught up on many pickups over the weekend by bringing in help from Imperial Valley and Arizona.
"We know this is unacceptable, and again, it's very challenging because this is about the strike in Boston. It has nothing to do with our contract in the city of Chula Vista, and it's unfortunate," McCann said.
For residents who want to drop their trash off at the landfill, it's free. The mayor also says they're working on waiving service fees.
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