Investigates

Video captures Pittsburgh mother dumping her own trash into sanitation trucks when workers refused

PITTSBURGH — Most of us have been frustrated at one on time or another to find our garbage cans tossed around on the street, but this video took it to another level.

Video of a mom dumping her own trash into a garbage truck in the city of Pittsburgh is touching off a lot of nerves.

Sanitation workers refused to pick up the trash, so the woman did it herself; and a doorbell camera captured the whole thing.

Brian Searight lives in Brighton Heights. His doorbell caught on camera what happened when sanitation workers came to pick up his trash this week.

The workers take some of the trash, then his wife, Amanda, who was sitting on the porch, then calls out and asks if she can put the trash in the truck because they’re starting to leave without it.

You can see her walking up with a baby in her arms, then setting the one-year-old down on the lawn, and proceeding to take her garbage to the truck.

“What really upset me the most is my wife had to put our child down in the yard to put the garbage in the truck while they stood there and watched.”

He said the worker indicated the cans were too heavy, but his wife was able to lift them. He also said this was the second week in a row they left his trash. Searight, who also works for the city as a firefighter, says they complained several times, but so far have gotten no response.

The city does not list a weight limit for garbage cans on its website, only saying they can be no bigger than 35 gallons.

We contacted the city of Pittsburgh, and all they would say is that the incident is under full investigation, and would not say if the workers’ behavior was inappropriate or acceptable.

We asked to do an interview with someone from the Department of Public Works, but they declined.