Major trash problem at Tasker and 13th

**nfs** · 07-30-2012, 01:50 PM

I have already complained to 3-1-1 and have a feeling that this problem was filed under "non-priority" but I would love suggestions:

There is a trash can at the southwest corner of 13th and Tasker that someone is using as their personal trash can. Specifically, large trash bags are put in there all of the time, resulting in smaller trash not fitting, blowing over, ending up on the ground. This is a high traffic area, so it is already full of regular trash. Even with it being picked up every other day it is still overflowing - it looks like a DUMP.

I do not live at this corner, so it's not as if I have a bird's eye view to catch the offender. But apart from setting up security cams, is there anything one can do - civic group or otherwise. My initial though was have another trash can, but I feel as if that will only emphasize that problem and give the offender more room to put more of his or her trash.

Suggestions welcome.

**carloss** · 07-30-2012, 02:03 PM

...snip...

**luchobucho** · 07-30-2012, 02:21 PM

That can was placed by PARC, I believe. Maybe they will chime in, as they post on here a lot.

I walk by the can every day, this morning it was disgusting. IMO it was 80% bagged trash, which does not belong in street-side rubish bins.

Funny thing, the other day I was in the corner store just down the block and this older guy say he watched some woman walk down from dickinson and put trash in that can. He said he was fed up with it and they shoudl take it away. I told him that his unhappiness was warranted, but his solution was misguided. Rather than take the garbage can away, he should call out his filthy neighbors for putting their trash in a street garbage can.

Why are people so unwilling to manage their household garbage within the confines of their property. It take small amoutn of thought and care and you can keep your garbage till garbage day.

Ugh

**OffenseTaken** · 07-30-2012, 02:24 PM

Are you sure it's a single offender? Many of the compactors along South Street are often jammed and overflowing, because of all the people in the neighborhood who don't really have anywhere else to put their trash for most of the week.

**OffenseTaken** · 07-30-2012, 02:35 PM

Originally Posted by luchobucho

Why are people so unwilling to manage their household garbage within the confines of their property. It take small amoutn of thought and care and you can keep your garbage till garbage day.

Ugh

At least in decent neighborhoods, it's more often a question of ability rather than willingness. There are quite a few people who don't have access to alleys or backyards where trash cans would go, and we can't expect them to pile up their trash inside for a week.

**nfs** · 07-30-2012, 02:37 PM

Originally Posted by OffenseTaken

Are you sure it's a single offender? Many of the compactors along South Street are often jammed and overflowing, because of all the people in the neighborhood who don't really have anywhere else to put their trash for most of the week.

First, I think South Street is more heavily walked so you have more trash on a general basis. Second, one person's/household's trash problem (ie the size of their apartment) should not become the neighborhood's. There are weeks where I have more trash than I would like - but it's my cross to bear.

**luchobucho** · 07-30-2012, 02:41 PM

Originally Posted by OffenseTaken

Are you sure it's a single offender? Many of the compactors along South Street are often jammed and overflowing, because of all the people in the neighborhood who don't really have anywhere else to put their trash for most of the week.

I didn't mean to imply it was a single offender. This guy just saw one woman with a big bag of garbage walk down a block and dump it.

**nfs** · 07-30-2012, 02:42 PM

Originally Posted by luchobucho

I told him that his unhappiness was warranted, but his solution was misguided. Rather than take the garbage can away, he should call out his filthy neighbors for putting their trash in a street garbage can.
Ugh

Ugh indeed. And if I saw a person doing it I would definitely call them out on it. This morning I was speaking to a neighbor who was tossing trash (that someone left on the curb) and she believes the can should be taken away as well. Her theory - "you can't give people nice things without them abusing it." Sadly, I kind of see her side.

**luchobucho** · 07-30-2012, 03:13 PM

Originally Posted by nfs

First, I think South Street is more heavily walked so you have more trash on a general basis. Second, one person's/household's trash problem (ie the size of their apartment) should not become the neighborhood's. There are weeks where I have more trash than I would like - but it's my cross to bear.

Ditto. I think its a question of living within your means (whether financial or in this case, space). I produce a half a bag of garbage a week and a half a recycling bin of stuff. I RARELY use the outside can in my back patio. I make sure to wash food off of everything that I put in the garbage/recycling (tuna cans, beer, those styrofoam things that chicken comes on sometimes). When I trim meat, I setup a 1 gallon freezer bag on the counter and put all the trimmings, veggie pits, peels etc in. I freeze that till garbage day if its more than 1 day or 2 before.

It certainly is more convenient to just throw your garbage out back, but for the people who don't have that option, they need to figure out something that works that doesn't involve breaking the law and illegally dumping the trash.

Separately, PWD has been suggesting garbage dispoals as a good alternative to limit the amount of bagged garbage that people produce.

Philly wastewater treatment plants reduce pathogens significantly in their sludge and it is therfore useable as a soil ammendment and for fuel source. Using your garbage disposal will make the city money!

**OffenseTaken** · 07-30-2012, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by nfs

First, I think South Street is more heavily walked so you have more trash on a general basis.

A lot of the trash in question is in bags.

Originally Posted by nfs

Second, one person's/household's trash problem (ie the size of their apartment) should not become the neighborhood's. There are weeks where I have more trash than I would like - but it's my cross to bear.

We all have more trash than we would like; that's why it's "trash." What you don't seem to understand is that there are many dwellings where there simply is no place to put the trash, other than the kitchen or the hallway. If thousands of people in the city were forced to do that for a week at a time, that would be a bigger public health problem than this is.

Don't get me wrong: you bring up a real problem. I just don't think your beef is with people in small apartments who'd rather not have more mice and roaches than they already do. Your beef is with once-a-week trash pickup in a city of this size and density, which is pathetic.

**LUCas** · 07-30-2012, 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by OffenseTaken

At least in decent neighborhoods, it's more often a question of ability rather than willingness. There are quite a few people who don't have access to alleys or backyards where trash cans would go, and we can't expect them to pile up their trash inside for a week.

Why not? You put garbage in the garbage disposal. You rinse recycling items out. Everything else (which there shouldn't be much of after that) isn't going to stink.

**2happy4u** · 07-30-2012, 07:32 PM

Thats the reason trash cans were removed from SP for years. The only correction I can think of is, get rid of the ziip car parking spots and place big stinky dumpsters there. Since goof balls can't wait till trash day, get rid of collection service too. Let them walk the trash a few blocks everyday. IMO it's the "entitlement mentality" it's a free trash can I can fill it.

**luchobucho** · 07-30-2012, 10:52 PM

Originally Posted by 2happy4u

Thats the reason trash cans were removed from SP for years. The only correction I can think of is, get rid of the ziip car parking spots and place big stinky dumpsters there. Since goof balls can't wait till trash day, get rid of collection service too. Let them walk the trash a few blocks everyday. IMO it's the "entitlement mentality" it's a free trash can I can fill it.

In a couple of cities in Spain they do this. Dumpsters on each block that get collected daily. The actual collection time is prolly pretty quick. Alot cleaner that way.

**Elizabeth** · 07-31-2012, 08:57 AM

This morning I saw L&I inspectors at 12th and Federal searching through the trash can on the corner. I asked one of them who he was going to fine and he said if he could find a name in the bag of household trash, it would be a $150 ticket.

There's no easy solution to this problem, and removing the trash can is not the solution because it would just lead to more trash littering the sidewalk and streets. I was definitely happy to see the inspectors out there!

**Longshanks** · 07-31-2012, 10:01 AM

Originally Posted by OffenseTaken

At least in decent neighborhoods, it's more often a question of ability rather than willingness. There are quite a few people who don't have access to alleys or backyards where trash cans would go, and we can't expect them to pile up their trash inside for a week.

Actually, I think we can expect that. Corner trash bins aren't meant for people's daily household trash, which only contributes to the filthy mess that is this city's litter and debris problem. Perhaps these people should contract with a private company to collect their waste. When their trash blows out of those cans, it's the rest of us that have to clean it up. That's b.s.

**Longshanks** · 07-31-2012, 10:05 AM

Originally Posted by LUCas

Why not? You put garbage in the garbage disposal. You rinse recycling items out. Everything else (which there shouldn't be much of after that) isn't going to stink.

Couldn't agree more with you. The answer is not dumping your household trash into street corner wastebaskets, which leads to the trash spilling and/or blowing down the street and everyone else's problem when they have to clean it up. The people that made the trash should keep it in their homes till trash day.

Also, the city needs to start fining people for putting their trash out in plastic supermarket bags. The city's website clearly states that trash must be put out in sealed plastic bags. I do not think they mean plastic supermarket bags. They open up and blow all over the place.

"Use your own containers to set out trash. City litter baskets are for pedestrian use only. Do not use them to dispose of your household trash."

**Longshanks** · 07-31-2012, 10:21 AM

To make matters worse, ACME placed two clothing donation bins in the front of their lot on Passyunk under the big tree by the sign right next to a metal wastebasket. There has already been a problem with people dumping their trash in that basket, now people dump whole bags behind the clothing bins. The donation bins are a problem themselves. I'm all for donating clothing to the needy but did they really need to put two bins right off the street in the front of their lot? It's unsightly. I've already seen people rummaging through bags of clothing that were dumped on the ground next to the bins. I even saw a woman the other day standing on a shopping cart with her head completely inside the donation bin looking through clothing. The day they dropped those bins there I knew they would become a major blight. The goal is to make the neighborhood more liveable and less trashy but the forces here seem intent on making this neighborhood look like a dump. The whole ACME property is something of an eyesore and then to add these donation bins, it only serve to encourage the dumping behavior.

On a side note, I've traveled all over Europe and the U.S. and I've never quite seen people with such a penchant for dumping trash. It's like part of the DNA for people that are from Philly.

**luchobucho** · 07-31-2012, 10:23 AM

Originally Posted by Longshanks

Couldn't agree more with you. The answer is not dumping your household trash into street corner wastebaskets, which leads to the trash spilling and/or blowing down the street and everyone else's problem when they have to clean it up. The people that made the trash should keep it in their homes till trash day.

Freezer and Garbage disposal. Thats all you need. And to stop consuming so much.

Actually, this brings me to another issue. Packaging in the US is absurd. It is insanely wasteful and only worsens trash issues in urban places. Next time you go to the store (any store really), look at how things are packaged, how much plastic and paper is used beyond the actual object that is packaged.

**JJS** · 07-31-2012, 11:51 AM

I live near there. This is not an isolated occurrence. Yesterday morning, there were bags of dog sh!t on the sidewalk next to the trash bin melting in the heat. The smell was bad. The swarm of flies was somehow worse.

The sidewalks in our neighborhood should not be littered with melting bags of dog sh!t. Moreover, there is no excuse or justification for melting-poo-littered sidewalks. If you disagree with this sentiment, you're an idiot.

I called PARC. PARC won't investigate who's dumping the trash and they don't have the authority to issue a fine. PARC offered to remove the trash bin.

This is why people move to the suburbs.

**PARC** · 07-31-2012, 12:20 PM

PARC shares your anger and concern regarding this ongoing problem. We had cans placed on all of the major intersections along South 9th,8th & 7th St. that had to be removed because of this abuse. We service them as best as we can. The trash cans are emptied every day except Sunday. The PARC crew has 2 men dedicated to emptying the cans and it takes at least 4 hours to service all of them. That is 4 hours NOT spent cleaning the streets in the residential areas. One by one, the cans are being removed because your neighbors are abusing them. The idea was to control litter, sadly these cans are now generating litter. Sorry about this guys. If you find out who or witness this dumping, I suggest you call Streets and get them fined. It costs $300 per occurance. We literally had someone balance a sofa on one of the cans we had at 7th & Tasker St. Some people just don't care about anyone but themselves....total lack of civility.