Oakland sues garbage collection company (City says firm's lockout is creating hazardous trash pileup

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

Christopher Heredia, Chronicle Staff Writer
OAKLAND -- The city of Oakland filed suit today against its garbage hauler, Waste Management of Alameda County, in an attempt to force the company to pick up trash that has gone uncollected during the company's 11-day lockout of truck drivers.

The accumulating waste has created a public nuisance, city officials said, and poses health and safety hazards for residents, business owners and people who work in Oakland. The city wants an Alameda County Superior Court judge to force the company to live up to terms of its contract with the city.

A hearing on the suit is scheduled for Monday.

"We want the garbage picked up ... period," Mayor Ron Dellums said, speaking at a City Hall news conference this afternoon. "There is a clear and compelling safety and health and welfare issue here. In a dense urban environment such as ours, disease has the potential to spread fast."


Read more: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/12/BAG5VQVEEM8.DTL