After an apparently misleading announcement led to full trashcans sitting out for up to three days, the city of Suffolk has issued an update “to make it clear” the trash-collection schedule in the Central Business District will run as normal this week.

A Dec. 17 city news release stated: “Trash normally scheduled for pickup on Thursday, December 25 will be collected on Friday, December 26. Trash normally scheduled for pickup on Friday, December 26 will be picked up on Saturday, December 27.”

Downtown businessman Andy Damiani said he had his cans placed on the sidewalk at 4 p.m. Friday for what he believed would be collection the following morning.

But they were still sitting there Monday afternoon, without having been emptied.

The 93-year-old former Suffolk mayor wasn’t happy. The handwritten note he taped to one of his cans sitting on West Washington Street read: “City, Please pick up my trash. (The) trash has been on the curb since 4 p.m. Friday. Damiani.”

“This is pretty serious stuff,” Damiani said in a phone interview, adding his uncollected trashcans contained the refuse of his 13 shopping center tenants.

“You can’t keep changing the rules. I’m just puzzled why the trash was not picked up. It causes all kinds of problems: You aren’t allowed to park your car in front of trash cans; it’s a health hazard; it’s a logistics problem.

“Trash sitting on the curb doesn’t look good, and it obstructs people getting in and out of cars.”

Christina Mahoney said while the situation didn’t directly affect the West Washington Street business she co-owns, Un-Cork’d, “If it was overflowing, it wouldn’t make our shop look very appealing.”

City spokesman Tim Kelley stated Thursday’s refuse was picked up on Friday and Friday’s on Saturday because the Christmas holiday fell on Thursday.

But the changes, he added, didn’t affect pickup in the central business district.

A “field review” the city conducted in the central business district on Monday morning showed “the overwhelming majority” of customers did not place their cans out for Saturday collection, according to Kelley.

“Several containers were observed to be at the curb for collection Monday morning. Staff will be making a special collection to empty the refuse containers today,” Kelley wrote in an email Monday afternoon.

This week, despite the New Year’s Day holiday, central business district customers will have their trash collected on the usual days of Tuesday and Friday, Kelley said.