Shreveport apartment residents raise health concerns over weeks of uncollected trash
SHREVEPORT, La. - Residents at a Shreveport apartment complex say trash has gone uncollected for weeks after the property's owners allegedly failed to pay the garbage bill, raising concerns about health and safety.
SHREVEPORT, La. - Residents at a Shreveport apartment complex say trash has gone uncollected for weeks after the property's owners allegedly failed to pay the garbage bill, raising concerns about health and safety.
Republic Services confirmed to KTBS that trash collection at the Sanctuary Apartments at 3701 Valley View Road was suspended after the property's account became delinquent.
The company said the bill has not been paid since June 24 and totals more than $6,000.
Three dumpsters are filled to the brim with household garbage with the immediate area covered in trash.
Residents say the trash collection has been inconsistent for months despite garbage services and water being included in rent, which ranges from $700 to $900.
"We used to have one of the big trailers here to dump trash in. At one point we couldn't use these three dumpsters for more than a month because it was so full," said one resident.
Some residents have seen animals rustling through the garbage.
"I live here and I smell it every day. I have pictures of vultures. They fly over my head. These big, black birds that chase dead things show up here all the time," said another resident.
Some tenants were moved across the street from their previous homes in an apartment complex owned by the same company when a storm made the building uninhabitable.
They say they have noticed a decline in the property, and are worried their home may be being neglected by their landlords.
"We went from the promise of a refurbished apartment, to getting asked to move, to just kind of observing the property dwindling; like no cut grass. That spontaneous move hurt us last time, and it's scary to think I might have to do that again," said another resident.
While investigating the trash issue, KTBS discovered the Sanctuary Apartments property owners are behind on the property's water bill.
KTBS has filed a public records request with the City of Shreveport to determine how much is owed and how long the account has been delinquent.
Attempts to contact the leasing office were unsuccessful.