Temple University students plagued with piles of trash in off-campus housing
"It's disgusting. It's awful...I have ants now," one resident said
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Temple University students are demanding a solution to piles of trash in their off-campus apartment complex.
Residents living in the independently-owned University Village Temple apartments said they are dealing with overflowing trash rooms and mounds of garbage in hallways, with no alternative locations.
The complex is located at North 10th Street and Montgomery Avenue in North Philadelphia next to Temple's campus.
The building is owned and operated by American Campus Communities. The company states on its website that it's the nation's largest developer, owner and manager of more than 200 student communities.
Residents of University Village said the trash issue has been happening on each of the six floors of the complex off and on all month.
"It's disgusting. It's awful. I can just think of all the critters walking in there - rats and rodents. I have ants now," said resident Kimiko Jackson. "They ran out of space to put it in the trash room, so they started putting it in the laundry room where I wash my clothes and ants are going into our units. It's disgusting. It's out of control."
The smell and sanitation issues are big a concern and residents tell Action News that they do not have anywhere else to put their trash.
"During the month that me and my roommate have been here, I've noticed that it got cleaned out once, but so far that's been the only time," said resident Alex Angelopoulous.
It's unclear whether students have access to dumpsters or trash compactors. There are many buildings in the city where people are not able to access those areas.
"It's definitely a safety hazard. It's a biohazard. It's disgusting. I don't want to have roaches or mice or anything and I feel like that's what's going to happen, eventually. It's bad for your health. It's unhealthy and unsanitary," said resident Audrey Chainani.
Students tell Action News that there might be staffing issues. However, they said they pay rent and demand a solution or be provided with a location to put their trash.
University Village Temple was built in 2004 and has 220 units.
Action News has reached out to American Campus Communities for a response about the students' concerns and a timeline for fixing the problem. Management said they were on the phone with their corporate office working to provide an explanation.
Temple University, which does not own the property, released the following statement: "Temple University is aware of the reports of mounting trash at the University Village apartments. We've reached out to American Campus Communities for more information and hope that the situation will be remedied as soon as possible."
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