JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Trash has become a major issue for people living in a housing edition in the Moncrief neighborhood in Northwest Jacksonville.
Many people living in the Moncrief Village Apartments told News4Jax on Monday that the trash hadn't been picked up in weeks, and the dumpsters are now overflowing with garbage.
They said their main concern is the trash becoming a hazard to their health.
Sequenya Akins' said all she can see outside her apartment are large piles of trash around at least four dumpsters.
"It’s not a very good sight and because I know my baby loves to run. I just, I keep him in his stroller," the mother said. "I don’t let him go around anything like that.”
According to people living at the apartments, the trash has been lying around and overflowing dumpsters since before Christmas.
Some said they're worried about putting more trash into the dumpsters.
“I’ve actually had trash build up and I was debating on if I should just throw it in the trash or if I should just wait," said one resident, who wished to remain anonymous.
Moncrief Village is owned by Millennia Housing, and the dumpster company that the complex uses is Arwood Waste. It’s unclear which company is responsible for removing the trash.
News4Jax called both companies, but did not get a response.
”I don’t want my daughter playing in trash," the unnamed resident said. "It needs to be removed.”
Akins said her biggest fear is the trash harming her family's health.
“It’s hazardous and a contamination to the community," Akins said. "A lot of children, if it wasn’t for the cold, would be out here playing and that’s not a good thing for them.”
Until the trash has been removed, Akins said, she's keeping her son by her side.
News4Jax also contacted the city to find out whether anyone has filed a complaint, but has not heard back.