14 months ago
WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- Thousands of vehicles were gridlocked for hours all around DC's Carter Barron Amphitheater as an unexpected number of people participated in a city sponsored recycling drive.
Motorists waited between one and two hours to enter the Carter Barron Amphitheater, located at 16th Street and Kennedy Street NW, to drop off used computers, car batteries, paint containers, natural gas cylinders and other potentially hazardous materials which cannot be legally left for trash pickups.
Some exasperated drivers parked their cars or were dropped off and walked about 1/4 of a mile to the drop off site. Others used babystrollers and tv stands as makeshift carts to ferry their trash to its final resting place.
The confusion was especially great towards the 3 PM close off time when traffic control workers left their posts as scheduled. "It was a mess because they received no guidance" said Councilman Jim Graham (D-1).
Police officers were eventually dispatched to direct the last few hundred vehicles trying to enter the drop off location.
The DC Public Work employees collecting the trash told 9 News Now that at least a thousand more people participated this time around, more than were expected.
Councilmember Muriel Browser told 9 News Now that her office was flooded with angry e mails from "disgusted residents."
DC Officials are promising that future recycling drives will be different. "We will use different locations, we will do it more often and we will have more personnel" said Graham.
Written by: Armando Trull9NEWS NOW
