Trash buildup at west Charlotte apartment complex resolved after compactor malfunction fixed

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - After nearly two weeks, the trash pile at Arbor Glen apartments has been cleaned up.

WBTV was first made aware of the excessive trash buildup at the apartment complex when a resident called in a tip Wednesday evening.

One neighbor who did not want to go on camera said it has been extremely frustrating.

Arbor Glen is an affordable housing complex funded mainly through Housing and Urban Development.

It’s operated by Inlivian, previously known as Charlotte Housing Authority.

Cheron Porter, Inlivian’s VP of Corporate Communications, was able to clarify what issues led to the prolonged trash heap on the property.

She says the main problem stemmed from a broken arm component in the trash compactor, which prevented any residents from being able to put trash inside. This led to the overflow onto the sidewalk and driveway area.

Porter also said that the issue was first brought to Inlivian’s attention when that compactor wasn’t emptied on Thursday, Dec. 29. She says Inlivian reached out to Charlotte sanitation for clarity on Friday, Dec. 30, but didn’t hear back until this week due to the long New Years Eve weekend.

Once the city clarified that it had been picking up trash at the property, Inlivian discovered that the broken arm on the compactor had led to the issue.

“We apologize, and as always they (the residents) can call our management office,” Porter said. “This was an unfortunate perfect storm of a piece breaking down that we were unaware of during a holiday weekend. We don’t anticipate this happening again.”

Throughout the day on Thursday, crews worked to clean and remove all the trash from the compactor area on the property, and a cleaner was seen pressure washing the entire area to get rid of the lingering smell and residue from the trash.

Porter says the broken component of the trash compactor has been addressed and is back to operational.

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