Wayward trash is no match for powerful winds at landfill



MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Powerful winds whipped through southeast Wisconsin on Friday, February 21st -- and they blew trash from a Menomonee Falls landfill all over the place.

At 124th and County Line Rd., it seemed as if every bad that's been thrown out in the last month had been strewn all over the place. The noise from the trashy display was a constant roar between Milwaukee and Ozaukee Counties. It also made some people stop and just look around.

"I came around the corner here and just bags of garbage just flying at my car and kind of stopped to take a couple of pictures because it's just absolutely crazy - all this garbage everywhere. I was actually thinking about the homes I take care of around the corner," said John Atlee.

Fortunately, the direction of the wind sent the bags away from any houses in the area. Most of them never left County Line Rd. Instead, they got caught in the fence and trees across the street.



"I have absolutely not seen anything like this ever before. When I stopped, two other cars stopped to take pictures also. I don't think anybody has seen this before...whoa," said Atlee.

Later in the afternoon on Friday, a three-man crew began the unenviable task of pulling the bags off the fence. One worker even wore a mask to deal with the stench that accompanied the wayward waste.

One of the workers cleaning up the mess said something similar happened earlier this winter. But overall, he says it's quite rare.