The Quezon City government said on Thursday the additional garbage trucks fielded by the city government have reduced dramatically the volume of uncollected garbage in the city.

Despite the efforts of the city government, Quezon City Council Majority Floor Leader Ariel Inton appealed for patience to residents with uncollected household wastes, assuring that “everything humanly possible is being done’’ to clean their surroundings.

Instead of complaining, Inton requested local residents to pack their waste materials in plastic garbage bags to facilitate their collection, saying the huge number of discards is simply overwhelming after tropical storm “Ondoy” struck Metro Manila.

“Naiintindihan ko ang kalagayan ninyo pero sana wag na po tayong masyadong magreklamo at ginagawan naman po ng local na pamahalaan na matugunan ang inyong suliranin sa basura,’’ Inton said.

He said the local and national government are not solely to blame for the flooding fiasco, saying that undisciplined and unscrupulous individuals who indiscriminately dump their waste on the waterways are also responsible for what happened.

“May kasabihan na ang tinapon natin pag naglaon ay babalik din sa atin,’’ Inton noted.

Instead of people whining and pointing fingers, Inton said the huge flood should serve as an eye opener not only to local officials but also to the general public as flood control is the responsibility of every sector of society.

Earlier, Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. sought the assistance of the local fire department and fire volunteer groups to facilitate the city’s cleanup drive.

In a meeting with officials of the city’s 142 barangays, Belmonte asked them to come up with accurate lists of families and individuals in their respective turfs occupying areas earlier identified as danger zones.

The danger zones are classified as critical areas near esteros, creeks, canals and other major waterways which are not fit for house or structural construction.

To prevent further casualties, Belmonte said the city government will expedite the coordination with the national government to facilitate the relocation of the informal settlers living near the city’s danger zones.