Mountain of waste growing in the streets of Utrecht as garbage worker strike continues

The amount of trash and litter visible on the streets of Utrecht is starting to grow due to the ongoing strike of the city's garbage collectors. Trash is not being picked up during the weeklong strike, and bulk waste separation stations are closed.

Underground containers are filling up, and the number of bags next to the containers is on the rise. The situation is worsening in and around the city center, according to a survey by the municipality. Not everyone is adhering to the call from City Hall to keep garbage bags, paper and cardboard at home. Still, the municipality will not enforce rules if waste is left out incorrectly, as is normally the case.

All of the city's garbage collectors have been on strike since Tuesday. They intend to continue for a week, but officially they have to announce it every individual day they strike. On Friday morning, they will meet on Tractieweg at Stadsbedrijven. Some of the employees working in the markets, ports and parks maintenance departments are also on strike. As a result, litter is piling up in many areas, especially green spaces.

Many residents have informed the municipality online saying that the containers in their neighborhood are full. The city has reminded them of the strike, and said that a special emergency team will remove the rubbish only if it causes an unsafe situation. The trash was removed one time when a road was blocked. Glass, drug waste, and medical waste are also being removed. The team also assists when removing items from residences.

After the strike, the trash collection service will get caught up, the unions have promised. The municipality wants to return to the regular clean-up schedule as soon as possible.