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The Waste of Chicago

Taste makes waste

When “The Taste of Chicago” ends, the monumental task of cleaning up and restoring the location back to normal begins.  I was interested in observing this massive operation, so I walked through the “Taste” grounds some 3 hours after it officially closed.  As I approached the area, I could hear the “beeps” of trucks and other vehicles as they scurried to and fro.  The shouts of workers, the banging of hammers and the whir of power tools could also be distinguished.  Stationary floodlights and vehicle headlights cast moving shadows and formed silhouettes against the leafy vegetation of nearby trees.  There was a palpable sense of urgency in the air.

Piles of trash and the debris of deconstructed selling booths lay scattered about the ground, along with discarded electrical cables and abandoned plastic crates.  They were almost like little islands, in that they were surrounded by the “rivers” created by melting ice, some stacked in rather substantial heaps, and other liquids.  Careful navigation was required by any pedestrian, so prevalent were the puddles and areas of standing water.  One also had to be wary of the various vehicles; trucks, cars, forklifts, golf carts and motorcycles that commanded the right-of-way.  Step out of the path of one and you’re likely to step into the path of another.  The people that inhabited this area were also on the move, most adopting a gait that was akin to Olympic speed walkers.  Some workers, those tasked with the sweeping and disposing of piled trash, were almost stationary by comparison.       

I thought I would see an army of city employees performing the bulk of clean-up chores but I was quite wrong.  I had forgotten that this was “The Age of Privatization” and it was in full force here.  I noticed a worker, dutifully and in comparative isolation, going about the business of sweeping, piling and discarding the debris that covered the street, a street that had to be ready for heavy traffic within a matter of hours.  The worker told me about his duties; within a certain area, he was to sweep and place the trash into dumpsters wherever he encountered it.  The private company he worked for deployed 3 shifts of workers, 8 hours per shift, for each day the “Taste” was in operation.  Prior to closing, the workload seemed quite manageable, each shift having no problem maintaining cleanliness and order and making sure every day began “garbage free.”  This, however, was the moment they all dreaded.  Not only were they dealing with a huge amount of work which would require a great amount of labor, they were “under the gun” to have it completed in a finite amount of time.  The particular worker I spoke with was to be relieved at 11 pm, and he expressed a heartfelt sympathy for those who would be coming on after him.  Surveying the copious mounds of trash and debris still waiting to be disposed of, the worker commented, “They’re gonna have to work their ass(es) off.”

I would assume the city will do this again next year.  Reports I had previously read say the “Taste” is a financial bonanza for those vendors that participate and the people who attend seem to enjoy it.  Those charged with evaluating such events say “The Taste of Chicago” is one of the more successful affairs the city presents.  It also provides work for people and that alone should make it redeemable.  If I attend next year, I’ll have in mind the people charged with the thankless (except for the paycheck) task of cleaning up after me, and I’ll be doing all I can to make their job easier.  

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