93-3-WMR Audio on Demand presents the Preston and Steve show podcast.

And now, Preston and Steve's news update with Kathy Romano.

And it's Wednesday, June 23rd.

Good morning, Kathy.

Good morning in the news this morning.

A driver shortage and an increase in trash volume are just some of the issues contributing to pickup delays. According to the Philadelphia Streets Department, surrounding towns are also reporting similar problems. It's funny that sponsorship, they're looking for truck drivers. Yes. Yes. Yes. It's been sponsoring with us for a few months now looking for drivers. And this is one of the reasons is that they just don't have truck drivers out there.

I've been noticing that pickup has been later and later in the week in my neighborhood.

Yep. So the deputy commissioner of the streets department, Keith Warren, said, I want to apologize for the delayed service.

He says trash production across the city is up about 30% because more people are staying home still due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He says that equates to an whole additional day of trash collection.

The city is also struggling to hire enough garbage truck drivers and collectors.

Warren says right now in the industry, CDL, commercial drivers, licensed drivers are like a unicorn.

It's so very difficult to find them.

While they work to pick up the pace of collections, city officials have created six locations that are called citizen convenient centers

for recycling and trash. So basically you can go and take your trash and drop it off if it's too

delayed for you. They are fenced in areas and they're full of dumpsters. Residents are encouraged

to drop off their waste at these locations.

Philadelphia isn't the only place seeing this problem.

Collingswood in Camden County, New Jersey,

created its own borough-run collection crew.

They rented trucks and they hired their own people to go pick up the trash.

I found a place just off 476 called the Schuylkill River.

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