One Garbage Hauler's Dirty Business

When a Bronx man was killed beneath the wheels of a garbage truck belonging to Sanitation Salvage in November 2017, the driver told police that they'd never met. But in reality, Mouctar Diallo was a so-called "third man" who worked for the company under the table. Since then, that same driver has been held responsible for killing another pedestrian in a separate incident, and New York City officials are taking a closer look at the company and its business.

A joint investigation by ProPublica and Voice of America has revealed deep ties between the company's owners and the Bronx Democratic establishment. Steven, John and Andrew Squitieri have spent decades rubbing elbows with the borough's political elite, all the while making tens of millions of dollars and hiring informal workers like Diallo for just $80 in cash per shift.

"Workers describe doing routes that have 1,000 stops or more," reporter Kiera Feldman told WNYC's Jami Floyd. "They describe working shifts that are 12 hours, 18 hours, even 21 hours a night, and that includes off-the-books workers."

Listen to the full conversation above for more on Sanitation Salvage and the current state of New York City's private trash collection industry.