As the snow that encased the city in February slowly melts, the trash that accumulated underneath reveals itself.
"The city is filthy right now," said City Councilor Matt O'Malley, at a Monday council hearing devoted to figuring out what can be done about it.
O'Malley called the hearing, where department heads detailed their plans for recovery. Among them: a tripling of the Boston Shines program, where volunteers clean up sections of the city.
There might be a lot of work left for them. Compared with the same time period last year, Boston garbage contractors collected 11 percent less trash in January and February, Public Works Commissioner Mike Dennehy said.
"We lost, collectively, 3,200 tons of trash," Dennehy said. "That is out there somewhere. Some of it may be due to the fact that people couldn't get out and couldn't do all the shopping they cared to do, but that's a significant number."
But Dennehy doesn't blame the garbage contractors — he said they did the best they could. Now public works staff is working hard, even on weekends, to make more progress, Dennehy said. City councilors voiced their support and said they'd advocate for more public works funding. There's also a chance the city will get some federal financial help with snow recovery costs.
