After images of piled-up waste surfaced, the Army's largest base was struggling to manage the large amount of trash it said had accumulated due to “unforeseen equipment issues,” according to a statement late Tuesday. It is said that there is.
Officials at Fort Liberty in North Carolina said they are implementing a “phased approach” to removing trash and bringing in reinforcements from local contractors to remove piles of trash. . Said In a statement.They are share After reports and photos began to garner attention and soldiers filed anonymous complaints, a video posted on social media showed the garrison commander, Col. John Wilcox, and others beginning to remove some of the trash.
“The current accumulation of trash at our facility is unacceptable and we are working immediately to resolve the issue,” Wilcox said in a statement. “It is our duty to provide and maintain safe and clean facilities for our soldiers, families, and civilian personnel.” (Related: 'Unacceptable': Pentagon ignores poor living conditions for US soldiers in barracks, report finds)
mission and purpose Verified photograph Posted Social media showed images of bins overflowing with full garbage bags, boxes, furniture and other waste on Monday. Much of the accumulated garbage was near residential areas, and one soldier said no garbage collectors had come for months.
The base said it is seeking to hire a local contractor for “stop-gap trash support” as regular contractors are unable to meet the facility's trash collection requirements due to equipment issues.
“Today we are moving additional large trash containers in preparation for a trash overflow and will continue to place these containers around the facility over the next few days to accommodate new trash,” the statement read. is written.
“Despite the circumstances that have caused trash to overflow within the facility, we are working diligently to address this issue as quickly as possible,” he continued, adding that it is hoped that soldiers will contribute to the trash-picking effort. I repeated that it had not been done.
“However, we ask for their patience as we resolve this issue,” the official added. “We are here to support our soldiers, their families, and our civilian service members, and we take that responsibility seriously.”
By mission and purpose, Fort Liberty is the Army's largest base, housing up to 10% of the Army's active-duty force. Approximately 40,000 people live on the base, and the document reveals that approximately 25,000 tons of garbage is generated every year. show.
One soldier previously told Task and Purpose that his unit had to walk about a mile to get to the nearest dumpster.
“This was a slow build,” the first soldier told the outlet. “What the unit is doing is having members out there, trampling the trash, throwing it into trucks and taking it to the designated location.”
“I'm pregnant right now, so the smell of trash drives me crazy,” said a former soldier and spouse of a current military member.
April Olsen, a spokeswoman for the base, said in an article published Monday that the base is aware of the issue with litter pickup and is working to resolve it.
Olsen told Mission and Purpose that garbage collection efforts have resumed in recent days, prioritizing barracks, child development centers, canteens and medical facilities.
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