VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – If you live in Virginia Beach, you may have noticed that your lawn debris bags are not being picked up on a regular basis.

10 On Your Side noticed that, and called down to the city’s Public Works Department to get some answers on why that is.

You leave the bags out in the sweltering heat, and you can smell a stink in the air.

We didn’t find any bags that had been ripped by cars running over them, when that happens it’s time to hold your nose.

On the Virginia Beach Public Works website, it doesn’t say why, but does it say manual collection of yard waste continues to be delayed.

10 On Your Side found out it is due to staff shortages, as Virginia Beach is down 24 commercial drivers, “so you have to have those to operate our equipment and go out and collect those bags,” said Kristi Rines with Public Works Waste Management. She said it would take an unknown amount of time to fill those positions.

Rines also points out an additional 14 employees are on light duty, not out on the road, and that includes 13 drivers,

“I don’t think it is lost on anyone that there is a delay in getting those bags picked up,” Rines said, “so what we are asking residents to do to help us out a little bit, and if they have room in the black trash cart, then they can put those bags in the trash cart for the time being until we can get our full staff back on track.”

Talk about a fly in the ointment. How about flies in the bags of yard waste baking in the hot sun, stinking up the air around it?

You can smell it outside Robert Kendall’s home.

“Come to think about it, it’s been two weeks since they picked up yard stuff,” Kendall said. “I don’t think they picked up last week after we cut the lawn.”

Best he can tell, it’s been two weeks since lawn debris was taken away.

It is absolutely due to staff shortages.

“I think like most people there is a high level of expectation for the services that waste management provides to our residents,” Hines said.

Virginia Beach Resident Michael Monroe,

“I know the water and the sewer bills keep going up… With no yard debris picked up on a regular basis, service is obviously going down, and that is a shame. “

There is no timeline to get the qualified drivers out on the road, so the city wants you to put the yard debris bags in the black trash cart until further notice.

“So, what we are asking residents to help us out a little bit,” Hines said, “and if they have room in the black trash cart, they can put those bags in the trash cart for the time being until we can get fully staffed get back on track.”

Kendall has bags out front, and had no idea yard waste pick up delayed,

“Well, I guess I am going to have to drop the bags off at the dump myself,” Kendall said.

He can do that, but Kendall can also put them in the black trash cart.

Rines said that when the department gets fully staffed, the level of service will get back to what residents are used to and expect.

“It would be nice to be at 100%,” Hines said, “but realistically we must fill in the vacancies we have right now. It will take time.”

Said Kendall: “Let’s figure this out. Let’s do it. Let’s get that taken care of. It would be nice to have to look at the bags all the time.”