This is a problem that has been going on for so long and been reported so many times with no improvement that I think people just don't bother anymore. Thank you for reigniting the issue. New Haven is not really serious about recycling. It's just a wink and a nod. They will tell you they are just putting the leaf bags on the garbage trucks to transport them to the composting center. They must think we are real idiots to believe something like that. Anyway, good luck with this.

SeeClickFix asks if this issue has been resolved. No, it hasn't. In fact, I watched a neighbor's collection of about 15 bags go out with the household trash yesterday. Some inquiries to those "in the know" say that the powers that be are aware of this, that it's not supposed to happen, that it is a disciplinary action, etc., but it continues. So, I don't think I want to close the ticket yet.

Not resolved, but apparently neither the city nor the community cares that much.

This shouldn't be happening. The issue has been passed along to parks.

This isn't a Parks thing. DPW wants reports of specific sightings of this. Here's the DPW Dep Dir's reply to my querry:

"Yard waste is occasionally placed on the garbage truck at the end of the route, with the blade of the truck down and the yard waste separated. Typically, the trucks are cleaned and used for yard waste at the conclusion of the trash routes.

Yard waste should be handled separate from recyclables.

If there is a particular location and time, we can research and ensure that proper procedures are being followed.

Howard Weissberg, P.E., PTOE
Deputy Director
New Haven DPW"

Thanks Greg for contacting the city. The DPW response, however, is out of touch with reality. The bags of debris are the first things tossed onto the blade, followed by household trash and all gets hoisted into the belly of the beast simultaneously. I hope we're not paying some poor soul to separate this stuff at the other end of the line. This doesn't happen just once in awhile, it happens every week.
And ... the particular location has been on this website for months now; the DPW knows the schedule.

Hi Gardener. I feel your pain! Don't loose too much sleep waiting for something to be done about this or you will die from exhaustion. I reported this for years on West Rock Avenue and never got any satisfaction. I can also say that the response I got from DPW was almost word for word the same response as above. They must have a script. Good luck in your quest.

I've been told that Mr. Weissberg is new and highly regarded; that he'll respond to issues brought to his attention. I closed the clicket as nothing was happening, but here we are again. Let's see if Greg as alderman continues to get the attention on this he has so far.

It appears to have been fixed. Only time will tell.