Meantime, inside one city of Cleveland garage, we found several garbage trucks parked even as another was turning into the shop. At another garage, we found more. So we sent questions to City Hall. Again and again, city leaders have faced hard questions about problems with trash collection and skyrocketing costs for overtime. So what now?

The city says despite the latest mechanical issues, dozens of crews still collected trash. First, the city told us “all routes were finished by 5:30 p.m.” on the day 20 trucks were out of service. But, then, “some pick-ups may have been missed.” And then this: “All routes were completed. There were a couple of houses missed.”

The union for the trash collectors calls trouble with the trucks an ongoing problem. Vincent Callahan with Local 1099 said, "They break down. They break down. That causes city services sometimes to be delayed."