Garbage left out for pickup blown around in storms | Environment

PRATTVILLE, AL (WSFA) - Some residents in Prattville got a little too anxious about wanting their garbage picked up, but not Charles Welch. 

Welch knew better not to put his garbage bags out Christmas night, a night filled with tornado threats for many, a reality for places like Mobile.

"It would have been all down the street," said Welch who lives in Prattville.

Those who did put it out the night before city sanitation crews came by this morning unknowingly provided the perfect set-up for a clogged drain.

On Adell Street, for example, high winds blew some of the trash down the drain creating a mess in the process. The mess turned out to be flooding but thankfully no one's home got flooded out. Mayor Bill Gillespie says he personally collected a truck-load of garbage bags pulled from the storm drains.

"I wouldn't say 'irritated' is the word because I understand many people have families in town and Christmas packages they're trying to get rid of. I am a little disappointed that they just didn't think considering we knew a big storm was coming through," said Mayor Gillespie.

The city has an ordinance that garbage shouldn't be put out until  the morning of pick-up.

It also happened in another part of Prattville. This time on Running Brook Circle, some low-level flooding but again no homes flooded out.

A friendly reminder from the mayor because there will be another storm down the road, another threat. Charles Welch will remember as well.

"I just know had I done that there would have been debris all down the street," Welch said.

There is a $50.00 fine for putting out the garbage the night before. The problem is stray cats and dogs often tear into the bags and spread litter throughout the neighbhorhood.