Privatized apartment refuse collections should end

Shelley Hurd · Post by **Shelley Hurd** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 9:50 am

As you have no doubt noticed, Lakewood has become over run with trash since the experiment to privatize the apartment buildings was implemented.

Before the experiment to privatize, this was not an issue nor were apartment buildings an eye sore.

Before the experiment to privatize the refuse department would pick up trash that was put out late.

Before the experiment to privatize the refuse department would pick up the trash and mounds of bulk (mattresses, couches, tables, chairs, TVs, .....) tossed out from folks moving in and out of the apartments.

Before the experiment to privatize, hoarding of trash which creates rat, vermin and other rodent type scavengers from invading and over running our City was not a problem.

Before the experiment to privatize the refuse collections of apartment buildings, the City was not over run with various different refuse company trucks spewing emissions in to our air, clogging our streets day and night, blocking streets, pushing dumpsters into the streets......

What can we do to return the refuse collections to the City?

Danielle Masters · Post by **Danielle Masters** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 9:57 am

Funny you mention this. I noticed last week that the dumpster at the apartment building across the street is an eyesore. I never noticed trash there before but now it is over-flowing. Hopefully in the summer there won't be so much overflowing trash because if there is there will be an awful stench directly across from my house.

Ed Dickson · Post by **Ed Dickson** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 10:49 am

Shelley,

This is a step that I adamantly agree with and it should have been done long ago. I have lived in many apartments in many cities in my time and NEVER was trash collection provided by the city. This was a luxury to many apartment building owners who don't even live in Lakewood. (I know this becuase I was at the council meeting when they all came to protest.) This was a no brainer in my opinion and will save the city money.
It's not like the city has closed it's doors to the challenges this will present to some of the buildings. Bring it to your council members attention and it will be dealt with accordingly.
To answer something in your post, no, I didn't even notice this as a change until yesterday when I saw my very first independent trash collector. I was happy to see it.

FWIW

Ed

Shelley Hurd · Post by **Shelley Hurd** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 10:53 am

Ed Dickson wrote:Shelley,

This is a step that I adamantly agree with and it should have been done long ago. I have lived in many apartments in many cities in my time and NEVER was trash collection provided by the city. This was a luxury to many apartment building owners who don't even live in Lakewood. (I know this becuase I was at the council meeting when they all came to protest.) This was a no brainer in my opinion and will save the city money.
It's not like the city has closed it's doors to the challenges this will present to some of the buildings. Bring it to your council members attention and it will be dealt with accordingly.
To answer something in your post, no, I didn't even notice this as a change until yesterday when I saw my very first independent trash collector. I was happy to see it.

FWIW

Ed

Ed,

Why would it be a bad idea to have the City charge to collect the apratment buildings trash?

Would generate money for the city...Win Win

Would cut down on all the various trucks spewing emission into our air...(Green")....Win Win

Would stop the eye sore LAkewood has become....Win Win

Would cut down on rats, vermin and other scavengers from over running Lakewood...Win Win

Would return apartments to our recycling program...Win Win

Win Win to return it to the City... for LAkewood residents anyway...

Danielle Masters · Post by **Danielle Masters** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 11:46 am

One thing that bugs me about Ed's comment is that the apartment owners don't live in Lakewood. That may or may not be the case but the fact is that renters pay the taxes. Trust my landlord (yes I am a renter, shocking I know there are renters that actually care and are involved in their city despite popular belief) and other landlords include taxes, water and other costs into the rent. They are running a business just like other business owners. So the added cost is being passed onto the renters. I would rather that the city charge an additional fee for apartment buildings because I believe the city does a far superior job of garbage collection that the various companies.

Ryan Patrick Demro · Post by **Ryan Patrick Demro** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 11:51 am

We have laws in place, that if properly enforced, can solve the problem. Start socking the building owners with the fines available under the law that I rewrote as a member of City Council. The law passed Council, the Mayor refused to sign it, but let it become law anyway. It allows the City to fine those who put out garbage too early or too late.

Shelley makes the case as to why city collection should be eliminated. She highlights the inefficiencies of govt. workers driving all over the City picking up trash that was put out at the wrong time. What Lakewood property owners of this ilk need is a behavioral change. The past administration failed to understand this and refused to enforce the law aggressively.

In addition, an option that did not make it into the legislation that I offered was to allow citizens to pay a fee for special pickups. So if one is cleaning out their garage, attic, etc., and their collection day is a few days out, they could pay a fee for special collection and avoid the fine.

The ultimate goal is beautification and it doesn't seem to be so difficult in other cities. This culture change is important for us to survive as a city. I choose police officers over refuse workers any day of the week, and that is the choice we are begin forced to make.

Shelley Hurd · Post by **Shelley Hurd** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 11:56 am

Ryan Patrick Demro wrote:We have laws in place, that if properly enforced, can solve the problem. Start socking the building owners with the fines available under the law that I rewrote as a member of City Council. The law passed Council, the Mayor refused to sign it, but let it become law anyway. It allows the City to fine those who put out garbage too early or too late.

Shelley makes the case as to why city collection should be eliminated. She highlights the inefficiencies of govt. workers driving all over the City picking up trash that was put out at the wrong time. What Lakewood property owners of this ilk need is a behavioral change. The past administration failed to understand this and refused to enforce the law aggressively.

In addition, an option that did not make it into the legislation that I offered was to allow citizens to pay a fee for special pickups. So if one is cleaning out their garage, attic, etc., and their collection day is a few days out, they could pay a fee for special collection and avoid the fine.

The ultimate goal is beautification and it doesn't seem to be so difficult in other cities. This culture change is important for us to survive as a city. I choose police officers over refuse workers any day of the week, and that is the choice we are begin forced to make.

So you promt the HORDING of trash by apartment owners and renters rather then having these things disposed of in order to maintain sanitization?

Odd concept...but ok

And you prefer having the building department hiring new staff to run around daily to look for trash left strewn about rather then to have it removed?

MMM.....ok

Danielle Masters · Post by **Danielle Masters** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 12:03 pm

I still think having the refuse department charge more for collection from apartments buildings would be a win, win situation. Plus the city could still benefit from their recycling.

Ryan Patrick Demro · Post by **Ryan Patrick Demro** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 12:21 pm

Nobody is promoting the hording of trash, just the enforcement of the law. When people obey the law the problem will no longer exist. We already have staff in place to address these issues.

Danielle, the Refuse Department should have moved to this and automation when I suggested it four years ago. The Refuse Department was inefficient then and continued to be for years. The ultimate removal of the Division head was an indicator of the mismanagement. It should have happened years earlier.

Shelley Hurd · Post by **Shelley Hurd** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 12:25 pm

Ryan Patrick Demro wrote:Nobody is promoting the hording of trash, just the enforcement of the law. When people obey the law the problem will no longer exist. We already have staff in place to address these issues.

Danielle, the Refuse Department should have moved to this and automation when I suggested it four years ago. The Refuse Department was inefficient then and continued to be for years. The ultimate removal of the Division head was an indicator of the mismanagement. It should have happened years earlier.

mmm...

So,

When people obey the law the problem will no longer exist

.

MMmmm...so if people obey the law their trash poofs out of exsistance?
And no sanitation issues exist?
And no hording goes on?

Just "where" does all the extra trash go when people oby the law?

Charlie Page · Post by **Charlie Page** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 2:01 pm

Shelley Hurd wrote:Just "where" does all the extra trash go when people oby the law?

It goes to the dump with all the other trash

Ed Dickson · Post by **Ed Dickson** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 2:09 pm

Shelley,

I don't think the city should be runninig a trash collection service. where fees need to be collected and such. That's for BFI, etc.

Danielle,

I see your point but you answered it by saying the apartment owners are running a business. The city does not collect business owners trash. When my business was in Lakewood before Walgreen's gave us the boot, we had to pay for trash removal. Why should these businesses get an advantage. Not to mention again that Lakewood was the ONLY city that I'm aware of that provided this service.

It was an easy budget cut to spare more jobs from being cut within the city.

Ed

Shelley Hurd · Post by **Shelley Hurd** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 2:24 pm

Ed Dickson wrote:Shelley,

I don't think the city should be runninig a trash collection service. where fees need to be collected and such. That's for BFI, etc.

Danielle,

I see your point but you answered it by saying the apartment owners are running a business. The city does not collect business owners trash. When my business was in Lakewood before Walgreen's gave us the boot, we had to pay for trash removal. Why should these businesses get an advantage. Not to mention again that Lakewood was the ONLY city that I'm aware of that provided this service.

It was an easy budget cut to spare more jobs from being cut within the city.

Ed

Ed,

Providing residents with safe sanitation conditions is one reason why residents pay taxes is it not?

Since this privatized experiment of apartments was implimented last year, the city has seen trash become a very visable problem.

Also, stoping apartment folks from putting trash out early will and already has lead to HORDING....both visible hording and hidden hording.
Hording trash leads to rodent infestations.

If I could figure out how to up load pictures I have taken over the past 2 weeks....I have 65 very nasty examples of what we all are seeing, but some are choosing to ignore.

Also

I don't think the city should be runninig a trash collection service. where fees need to be collected and such. That's for BFI, etc.

Doesnt the City collect for water and sewer?

Why should the City, who is in such desperate need of income....allow BFI to make income off apartment owners and not the City?

Ed Dickson · Post by **Ed Dickson** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 2:32 pm

So, you are choosing to ignore that no other city provides this service.
Maybe some of these complexes do have a back up of trash. I'm just not seeing it as you suggest and I live right near and walk my dogs by one of the examples you provided in a different thread. Not seeing it and choosing to ignore it are completely different.

If you have taken the time to take all these pictures of the rampant garbage throughout the city, have you taken the time to call the city so they are aware and can do something about it?

Just wondering.

Lynn Farris · Post by **Lynn Farris** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 2:32 pm

I guess I'm curious.

Commerical building always had to take care of their own trash and I know the condos have had to too - at least as long as I can remember. They don't seem to have any problems following the law. I remember complaining when the city stopped picking up the School's trash forcing them to have to pay to pick up their own trash which was an additional expense for them - when the school budget was

So some additional apartments now have to take care of their own trash now too and they aren't doing a good job of it - is that what I understand the problem to be? My assumption is that you have a few landlords who haven't figured this out yet and I guess what I hear Ryan saying is that if they are contacted personally and/or fined, they will get the idea that this is now their responsibility.

Call and complain to the building department if the trash isn't being picked up. I agree that it is a health issue. But I also understand that all other commerical establishments including condos have to pay for their own trash pick up.

And I might add that Commercial Establishments pay more property tax than Residntial ones do. One can argue fairness on both sides of this issue, but should the size of an apartment dictate trash pick up? With the city having huge financial problems this seems like an easy solution. Where I grew up in Dayton, we had to pay for our residential trash pick up with a private company - and we had to pay property tax.