Transport strike causes immediate problems for refuse collection

Municipalities seek options for school transport

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Refuse transport companies affected by the transport workers' strike that began on Sunday evening were feverishly trying to cope with mounting piles of household waste on Monday. The regular drivers are not working, and the companies are trying to take care of their mandatory routes with management personnel and non-union replacements.
      In addition to trash pickup, the strike is affecting commuter traffic and school transport. Several municipalities are considering various options for getting children to school on time.
     
The effects of the strike can clearly be felt at the Lassila & Tikanoja waste management company in Vantaa. Only 30 of the company's 150 vehicles are on the move, driven mainly by management and office personnel.
      The company is focusing its capacity on the waste transport of hospitals, health care clinics, harbours, airports, and industry. In residential areas, priority is given to large apartment buildings, whose trash containers need to be emptied every day.
      "It would be good if people would only throw away that which is absolutely necessary", says Pertti Tammivuori of Lassila & Tikanoja. He says that discarded objects, such as broken toys, which do not actually putrefy, might be better kept out of the rubbish bins for now.
     
The Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council is allowing residents to bring their own waste to regional landfills and sortti recycling centres free of charge during the transport strike.
     
The lack of school transport kept many children at home on Monday. Some came late, while others were able to avail themselves of hastily-organised car pools.
      School transport is a problem primarily in the south of Finland; schools in Finnish Lapland and Oulu Province have their winter sports holiday this week.
      In Imatra in the southeast of Finland, taxis, and parents' cars were used to replace buses. Parents who help transport children to school are entitled to compensation equivalent to the cost of a bus ticket. Some municipalities have hired a bus of their own.
      If the strike continues for a long time, students in the highest class of upper secondary school could face problems when the matriculation exams begin on Monday.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Transport strike continues, mediation effort rejected Sunday night (6.3.2006)

Links:
  Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council - household waste

Helsingin Sanomat