ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — St. Louis County Councilman Ernie Trakas confirmed his office received a tip about trash billowing out of Republic Services Southside facility off Interstate 55 and Bayless Avenue. Trakas represented the area where the facility is located.
Trakas said this is not the first complaint and it won’t be the last. He contacted the St. Louis County Department of Public Health to file a complaint from his office, and he confirmed an inspector has visited the facility but is awaiting the final report and findings.
Mary Blessing said she has been getting on and off I-55 at Bayless, right next to the Republic Services facility since she moved to the area in 1992.
“It just seems like it gets worse and worse,” Blessing said. “The trash has really become an eyesore.” She said in the last 3 to 4 years it’s gotten worse.
Nearby resident Jeffery Meier agreed. He’s lived in the area for two decades. Meier said he isn’t sure if it’s the facility’s doing, or if it’s a combination of homeless people in the area leaving trash in various places.
“I plan on retiring in five years and plan on walking up and down cleaning the street,” Meier said. “We need trash cans up and down the street. I don’t know if that will help.”
She said the recycling from the facility lands on the highway and roadways nearby. She wanted to do something about it and adopted a portion of the highway.
“We have mounds of trash that aren’t contained,” Blessing said. “When it’s windy, it just blows all over the place.”
FOX 2’s Bommarito Automotive Group SkyFOX flew above the facility Tuesday afternoon and spotted mounds of trash.
While talking with Blessing Tuesday on the side of Bayless Avenue, FOX 2 News crews noticed crews wearing reflective vests were picking up trash across the street from Republic Services’ building.
Meier said he has spotted crews from the facility picking up trash on his way to work often. Republic Services local and corporate headquarters did not return our request for a comment Tuesday afternoon.
