Bring out your trash!**

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

Better throw your trash away before January 1st!

# Trash stored in other non-regulation barrels or unapproved containers will be considered bulk items: they will be disposed of, but will be considered in violation and ticketed appropriately.

Containers put out for pickup may not exceed 50 pounds when full;

What counts as trash? Does furniture? What about furniture too large to fit in an approved container? What constitutes and approved container? Will landlords be required to supply these new approved containers?

How would you know if your trash exceeds 50 pounds if the container is on wheels? Again what about a heavy piece of furniture or other trash? Now what? Is there a place to bring it to if it won't be picked up?

**In an approved container.

Comments

[tsuki-no-bara.livejournal.com]

i'd guess big furniture would be bulk items, on account of the size. (tables, armchairs, desks, couches, that kind of thing.) but what if your trash container weighs twenty pounds when it's empty? you could fill it halfway and hit fifty pounds, and still have trash to throw out. do you drop your extra trash bags in your neighbor's container?

My reading of things

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

You can still put out bulk items on trash day. You can also put out other excess trash, but again, only when it's okay for items to go to the curb. You can't store your impoperly-containered trash outside until it's curb time.

You can download the complete ordinance here (http://crm.4gov.com/SOMERVILLEMA/FILEXFER/issue_12612/Ord2006Trash.pdf).

Re: My reading of things

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

(BTW, I found it via the 311 link on the Somerville home page, then search for "trash" and there are a number of trash-related questions. Otherwise, go to Departments, then Clerk, then look for Trash Ordinance. I believe it is behind a door marked "Beware of the Tiger".)

Lots of changes

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting the link to the complete ordinance. It seems to me that they've made quite a few new changes, not just the oft-discussed "must cover your trash" rule.

Hmm. The new regulations say owners must remove weeds, but doesn't define weeds, despite the long list of definitions.

It also makes it illegal to put trash in someone else's barrel.

And it's contradictory; it says in definition there's no restriction on the size of barrels for private property, but in 2-h-1 says " No receptacle shall exceed 50 pounds per container or a 32-gallon volume."

What about paper recycling?

[obie119.livejournal.com]

The law says all paper-recycling must be stacked and firmly tied. Are they serious? I am afraid this could lead to less recycling because of the hassle...

Re: Lots of changes

[readsalot.livejournal.com]

And it's contradictory; it says in definition there's no restriction on the size of barrels for private property, but in 2-h-1 says " No receptacle shall exceed 50 pounds per container or a 32-gallon volume."

I just read the whole thing myself, and it says there's no restriction on the size of barrels for private collection. I think that means if you're dealing with a private trash-collection company.

The 50-lb thing is pretty unclear, though--do they mean that I can put two 25-lb bags in one barrel? Or does the 50-lb limit include the weight of the barrel?

Re: Lots of changes

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

So it does! Thanks for catching that.

I have to say, it would have been nice if the publicity by the city had included "barrels must be 32 gallons or smaller" since I'm sure lots of people have gone out to buy barrels already.

As far as the 50lbs go, I think the meaning is that no trash collector should have to pick up anything weighing more than 50lbs. So I think that means barrel + rubbish.

Re: What about paper recycling?

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

Not quite.

The law says that magazines, newspaper, and corrugated cardboard may be bundled and tied.

The law doesn't mention other recyclable paper except to define it, so whatever the previous ordinances say about paper recycling still hold. (I'm going to be generous and assume that's the same as the information in the recycling fliers the city sends us.)

I think the previous regulations didn't say magazines could be bundled, so this is offering more options.

New Fees

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

If you have car batteries or latex paint you might want to bring it to the DPW this week before the new fees start:
_____________
The following items will be accepted at the department of public works yard, sanitation
division garage, between the hours of 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and
8:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. on Saturday (holidays excluded):
a. Automobile tires (unmounted) up to four each at $2.00 each;
b. Automobile tires (mounted) up to four each at $3.50 each;
c. Automobile wet-cell batteries up to $2.00 each at $1.50 each;
d. Latex paint (up to ten gallons) at $0.50 each per one-gallon size container or smaller and
$3.00 each per five-gallon container.

Re: What about paper recycling?

[ron_newman]

I just put all newspapers, magazines, junk mail, and random office paper in brown paper bags. The recyclers have always taken it.

Re: What about paper recycling?

[readsalot.livejournal.com]

That's what I do with paper, too. Boxes get broken down and tied into bundles, because the different sizes are otherwise hard to handle.

[dreamgirly19.livejournal.com]

I love how it talks about weight and how a man should be able to lift it...what if there are women garbage collectors!

this city is like living in germany, i have regular mini hitlers patrolling my street looking for someone who parks out of place now this and other new rules ugh.

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

It *is* relatively annoying, the number of regulations and the such. However, anyone practicing common sense and any amount of courtesy, recognizing that another human being is responsible for hauling that crap away would do all this and more anyhow.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

I understand completely. Look, I'm not against lids on trashcans or only putting your garbage out ON trash day or not adding your trash to your neighbors ... that should all go without an ordinance. I also don't think garbage collectors should have to break themselves trying to pick up trash. I just feel like some of these regulations, in true Somerville style, are over-written and unclear. I feel like they could easier to read.

I'm moving back to the square after some time away so maybe you all got flyers explaining this stuff in plainer terms? But if not, it would be just like city government to impose new regulations without making an effort to educate or properly roll them out.

Re: Lots of changes

[damsel-ophelia.livejournal.com]

Illegal to put trash in someone else's barrel? Huh. I know I have been guilty of tossing a wrapper or empty soda bottle in the trash/recycling someone's put out on the curb if there isn't a city-maintained waste barrel handy. I always thought it was a much better idea than littering. Good to know...

[damsel-ophelia.livejournal.com]

I know neither me or my girl saw any such flyer. My landlord (who lives downstairs) told us about it, but only really pointing out what we were doing that needed changing. It would make sense that if flyers were sent, they would be sent to those who are listed as the property owners as they would be the ones ultimately responsible to the city (though I am sure if my landlord got ticketed for something one of us did, he would surely make us cover the cost!) This announcement may have gone in the Somerville Journal, but if you you don't read it you don't see it.

[curiositykt.livejournal.com]

come on over to medford, the water is fine.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

Alas, I just signed a lease for 1/15 in the ville. Didn't rule out Medford when we were looking though.

Re: Lots of changes

[artic-monkeys.livejournal.com]

I think this rule applies to tenants habitially putting all their trash in a neighbors trash barrel or dumpster because their landlord did not provide one and they don't want to purchase their own.

[artic-monkeys.livejournal.com]

I made a previous post about this because they had put a sticker on my garbage can (http://community.livejournal.com/davis_square/740860.html) and they told someone that called form our house that they would have to go down to the DPW to purchase a proper container. When I called, they either changed their stance on this, or the information I got initially was incorrect.

Anyway, the latest I got from them was that you just want to make sure you are not putting a lot of real heavy stuff in your can. If you don't do that, there won't be any problems. The big part of the regulation is to keep the Rats out of town. so storing the garbage in cans with lids was the whole idea from the beginning. Once they started working with DPW they got all discombobulated in their efforts.

[artic-monkeys.livejournal.com]

several month ago, before all these official regulations they started ticketing people who put their trash in bags, so many people went out and bought barrels. Then because of the typical backlash they always get they stopped issuing the tickets and I believe they refunded a lot of them (kind of like the snow storm that wasn't a few years back). I too bought new barrels because of this and there were no barrel regulations at the time. Everybody is buying these bigger cans with the wheels on them. I don't know of any other municipality that has a 32 gallon limit barrel regulation! It is retarded.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't call it "retarded."

For one, sanitation is already a back-breaking, very physical job. I'm all for as much workplace ergonomics and people not hurting themselves on the job to the extent that they won't be able to *do* their job. If that means splitting my trash over two barrels, instead of one ginormous one, I'm happy to oblige.

I *am* irritated that city government almost never bothers to roll out new policies and legislation that most people would agree with or even approve of if only the notification came via a letter or flyer instead of a ticket. For me, it's not the message -- it's the delivery.

[twe.livejournal.com]

Here it is, Dec 28th, and I still have not received any official word from the city about this. My phone number is even on their automatic phone notification list. What happened to the alleged mailing that was supposed to go out?

[artic-monkeys.livejournal.com]

The 50 lb limit is ok then. Maybe what they should do is look into getting the automated trucks that are outfitted to pick up and dump the larger cans.

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

I'm a small property landlord and haven't received anything official at all. What really ticks me is that it's impossible to buy trash can lids separately. I have plenty of legal cans, but the collectors (I assume) have scattered most of the lids to the four winds.

Seems kind of silly though to allow (and encourage) uncovered trash cans from 4 pm one day to 7 am (or later) the next. Doesn't sound like that will discourage vermin at all.

[tarkap.livejournal.com]

I never got any info from the city or my landlord either.

I'm going to do the 'follow the crowd' and wait and see what the other people on my street do first :) I've been in this house for over 5 years and only one house out of about 10 2-family houses on the street has ever used trash barrels.