>> DESPITE COMPLAINTS FROM ACROSS CHICAGO, PRIVATE TRASH HAULERS MAKING PICKUPS DURING CITY MANDATED QUIET HOURS.

RARELY FACE CITATIONS FOR THE ILLEGAL PICKUPS.

THAT'S ACCORDING TO A W T TW NEWS ANALYSIS OF CITY DATA FROM 2022.

23.

BUT A NEW MEASURE AIMED AT CURBING THE PROBLEM MEANS SLEEP DEPRIVED.

CHICAGOANS MAY HAVE SOME HOPE IN SIGHT.

WTW NEWS REPORTER NICK BLOOMBERG JOINS US NOW WITH MORE.

NIC, HOW BIG OF AN ISSUE IS THIS?

WELL, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

AS WE'VE BEEN REPORTING ON THIS ISSUE SINCE JUNE AND WE DISCOVERED PRETTY EARLY ON THAT THE CITY HASN'T HAD A UNIFORM WAY OF TRACKING OR ENFORCING QUIET HOURS FOR PRIVATE GARBAGE AND RECYCLING COMPANIES.

NOW THEY AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE MAKING NOISY PICKUPS BETWEEN 10:00PM AND 07:00AM.

WE'VE GOTTEN COMPLAINTS FROM RESIDENTS AROUND CHICAGO.

SOME CALL 3, 1, ONE, SOME CALL 9-1-1.

SOME CALL THEIR OLDER PERSONS OFFICE.

>> THROUGH A FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST, WE OBTAINED 3, 1, 1, COMPLAINTS FROM JANUARY OF LAST YEAR TILL OCTOBER OF THIS YEAR AND FOUND 140 COMPLAINTS FROM 32 OF THE CITY'S 50 WARDS.

MANY COMPLAINED OF TRUCKS COMING DURING THE 04:05:06AM, HOURS A FEW EVEN COMPLAINED OF PICKUPS AS EARLY AS BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 03:00AM.

HOW OFTEN ARE COMPANIES BEING PUNISHED?

ACCORDING TO INFORMATION WE OBTAIN FROM THE CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT JUST 5 TIMES IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.

AND THOSE APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN POSSIBLY REPEAT OFFENDERS.

RECORDS SHOW 2 TICKETS IN THE SAME LOCATION IN NOBLE SQUARE AND 3 TICKETS AT THE SAME LOCATION IN AVONDALE.

NOW SOME OF THE SCOFFLAWS MAY HAVE CLEANED UP THEIR ACT WITHOUT A CITATION UNTIL RECENTLY, A COMMON WAY TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN FOR THE LOCAL STREETS.

AND SAM WARD SUPERINTENDENT TO CALL THEIR COUNTERPARTS AT PRIVATE COMPANIES THAT GET COMPLAINED ABOUT AND REMIND THEM OF THE LAW.

AFTER THAT, IT WAS UP TO CPD TO STEP IN WITH A CITATION.

BUT THE 3, 1, ONE RECORDS SHOW PLENTY OF FRUSTRATED, ANGRY CHICAGOANS MAKING REPORTS ABOUT REPEAT OFFENDERS.

ONE OF THE MOST FREQUENTLY COMPLAINED ABOUT WAS WASTE MANAGEMENT IN A STATEMENT, WASTE MANAGEMENT TELLS W T TW NEWS.

WE TAKE ALL COMPLAINTS SERIOUSLY.

OUR TEAM WORKS WITH THE CITY AND THE OLDER PERSONS OFFICES TO ADDRESS AND RESOLVE COMPLAINTS THAT ARE RECEIVED.

FLOOD BROTHERS AND LAKESHORE RECYCLING SERVICES ALSO APPEAR FREQUENTLY IN THE COMPLAINT LOGS.

NEITHER COMPANY RESPONDED TO A REQUEST FOR COMMENT.

NICK, YOU MENTIONED THE CITY'S APPROACH TO STOPPING ILLEGAL PICK UP UNTIL RECENTLY.

WHAT CHANGE?

THAT'S RIGHT.

FIRST WARD ALDERMAN DANIEL, A SPOT HAS BEEN PUSHING FOR TOUGHER ENFORCEMENT FOR A WHILE.

NOW.

HE TOLD US THAT NOISE COMPLAINTS ARE AMONG THE MOST FREQUENT PROBLEMS REPORTED IN HIS WARD.

SPOT WAS THE LEAD SPONSOR OF AN ORDINANCE TO GIVE CITATION WRITING POWER FOR ILLEGAL PICKUPS TO STREETS AND SAND AND REQUIRES PRIVATE TRASH HAULERS TURN OVER THEIR GPS AND OTHER TRACKING DATA FOR TRUCK ROUTES UPON REQUEST THAT WAY, CITY STAFFERS CAN VERIFY COMPLAINS ABOUT PREDAWN PICKUPS AND WRITE THOSE COMPANIES THAT TICKET THAT ORDINANCE PASSED UNANIMOUSLY LAST MONTH AND TOOK IMMEDIATE EFFECT.

STREETS IN SAN TOLD US RESIDENTS SHOULD SEND IN COMPLAINTS TO 3, 1, 1, SO THE DEPARTMENT CAN FOLLOW UP AND HOPEFULLY BRANDIS CHICAGOANS TIRED OF RUDE AWAKENINGS FROM GARBAGE TRUCKS WILL GET A LITTLE BIT OF RELIEF.

I'M HOPING THAT IS THE CASE FOR