COVID-19 Prompts City To Cancel Friday Collection of Recyclables For Wilmington’s West Side

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki and Public Works Commissioner Kelly Williams announced late Thursday that Friday’s scheduled collection of recyclables for sections of the City west of Interstate 95 has been canceled. Residents are asked to remove their bins from the curb and hold the materials until next week at the earliest.

The Mayor and Commissioner said a sanitation employee was tested today for COVID-19 after a close relative tested positive. Because the employee was in contact with many sanitation crew members slated to work tomorrow, the crew members will be placed in self-isolation at home until the employee’s test results are available this weekend.

“The COVID-19 virus continues to play havoc with our lives and our ability to manage City government,” said Mayor Purzycki. “I apologize for having to cancel the collection of recyclables for Friday, but for now our focus is on our employees and keeping them safe until we know more about this situation.”

In news NOT related to the collection cancellation, residents are reminded that the planned Citywide clean-up scheduled for Saturday in Wilmington is not being held to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. This announcement was originally made a few weeks ago. A citywide clean-up may be rescheduled for later this year once the concerns about COVID-19 have passed, permitting people to gather for events.