As the weather improves and more people take to the outdoors we will begin an education and enforcement campaign to ensure that our sidewalks, streets and parks are clean and free of loose trash and debris, a major complaint of residents and neighborhood groups. During the month of June several departments—Development Services, Public Works and Police—will collaborate on this campaign with the goal of increasing solid waste compliance rates and improving cleanliness across the city.
Residents may already be noticing informational tags left on trash carts when items are in violation of the regulations. These tags serve as reminders that trash bags exceeding the amount able to fit in the trash cart with the lid closed should be placed aside of carts in purple overflow bags. They also provide information on recycling and the proper placement of the cart for collection as well as process for disposing of yard waste, furniture and appliances.
Beginning June 6th, after a second week of warning notices to non-compliant residents, Allied Waste will leave behind any items that do not conform to waste disposal requirements. Items left behind will have to be brought back to the property and placed curbside the following week in a manner that is compliant with the rules. Further enforcement for violations such as leaving trash or trash containers curbside the day after collection, putting furniture or other bulky items out too early or without a scheduled collection, will also be implemented and may result in penalties including fines up to $300 per violation.
The move to ramp up enforcement comes two years after the City launched the new trash and recycling service. We expect this effort to resolve persistent issues that generate repeated complaints, increase recycling rates and reduce waste tonnage throughout the City.
We will also enhance enforcement to combat illegal dumping that diminishes the quality of life of our neighborhoods and impacts our budget with added cleanup expenses. Using surveillance cameras and other inspection methods, we will issue violations and, where appropriate, seek criminal complaints against individuals found dumping trash, furniture, electronics and other debris at parks, along roadways and in empty lots. With fines of up to $300 per violation and possible criminal charges, offenders will pay a much steeper price for dumping trash inLowell’s public areas than they will for making appropriate disposal arrangements.
While the majority of our residents complies with and appreciates the “new” trash program, there remains a number who refuse to comply. After two years of primarily educational efforts, we believe it is time for stepped up enforcement to achieve our clean community goals.
For more information about the City’s waste and recycling program contact 978.446.7277 or www.lowellrecycle.org. To schedule pickup of furniture or appliances contact 978.649.7564.
It would be great to have attention paid to the litter accumulating in the canals and elsewhere downtown as well. Not sure what the best approach might be, but additional receptacles, and a public awareness campaign might both be useful.
“Beginning June 6th, after a second week of warning notices to non-compliant residents, Allied Waste will leave behind any items that do not conform to waste disposal requirements.”
I’m think there should be a better approach based on fines. Leaving the waste behind for another day will likely lead to conditions we do not like.
I really hope this happens. It is sad to see the condition of the streets with blowing trash.
The city should offer one free bulk day per quarter. For those of us on a very limited income, it gets very expensive to pay for each item we wish to dispose of.
I have no idea what the city was thinking when we went to one barrel. Where did they think the trash would end up. The one barrel was an effort to save the city money, but I have news for you we are the city not city hall we still have to pay for an extra barrel and other pickups that is not saving the (we) the city.
George, Thank you for your comment. Prior to the implementation of the automated waste removal and the restriction to one barrel, the cost of providing the service of trash removal far exceeded the fee for the service In fact, despite these measures the actual cost still exceeds the amount collected though with a smaller margin. What that means is the remainder is picked up out of the general fund, reducing the level of funds available for other services which includes public safety, education, recreation and infrastructure. No doubt, the new program presented a challenge for some of our residents, particularly those who were not used to recycling. Many of our residents did not have the green recycling bins at all and had never recycled, which makes complying with the new program almost impossible.
We have seen great success for those who have embraced recycling. I’ve spoken with families of over 5 who through recycling are able to put out less that a full red barrel. Keep in mind, that the City pays a flat contract fee for the recycling program. Anything that could be recycled but isn’t ends up being picked with the trash and that costs money. Our goal is to increase the recycling rate and reduce the amount that ends up in the solid waste stream. Our Solid Waste and Recycling office is available to assist anyone who needs advice on how to increase their recycling rate. 978-446-7277
Donna McIntosh
Office of the City Manager