So the city wants to combat some of the litter problems 🤔. Before I get into this I want to give a shout out to the City's Clean Team. They do an amazing job on Hamilton St. I do not know where else they clean, but they do a good job before the animals destroy it throughout the day. I bet they get paid shit as well. Very sad.
The City wants to see from what I understand is if there is a correlation between having a plethora of trash cans and a reduction of litter on the streets.
The city environmental advisory council met and feels studies need to be conducted before they can properly address the issue.
Brian Stout, Allentowns manager of recycling and solid waste stated:
"I would not be able to truthfully back it up with any kind of data unless we ran a pilot test. But, if there was containerization, you are going to see a significant decline in litter almost instantly.”
Brian thank you for not saying the streets are clean and their isn't a problem.
Officials feel that people who just put bags out, contribute to the litter unintentionally, because sometimes the bags are ripped or animals get into the trash.
The environmental council believe that having more trash bins will help with the litter however at what cost?
Councilman Santo stated that people will be for the trash bins until they are advised they have to pay for them.
So who is going to pay for these cans/bins? I mean we could leave it up to council and they can vote the citizens are mandated to have trash bins. Which I am sure the fourhorse would vote yes on.
I know a decent trash bin with wheels is probably going to run well over $100. The citizens already got an increase on their trash. How much does the city want to squeeze us?
I do think having trash cans throughout the city and parks will reduce litter if they are regularly emptied, however I am not so bought on the idea trash bins will reduce litter. Have you ever seen a squirrel get into a closed trash can? I have seen them eat through the side of plastic cans. So animals are going to get into the trash no matter what.
Atleast the city wants to do surveys throughout the city to get a well rounded idea of whats the best course of action.
25 comments:
Just a crazy stupid idea... start TAKING more trash instead of limiting what can be collected! I had to personally remove 3 32-35 inch TV sets from in front of my garage... dam things are heavy and the city makes it nearly impossible to get rid of them... along with many other things. And they wonder why people just dump things...???!!! We get charged more and more for trash and they accept less and less. Witness how the recycling program went to the devil when China started refusing our plastic waste... now we have "Single Stream Scotty"... good lord, help us. I have witnessed trash and recyclables tossed in the same packer, but we MUST recycle... give me a break!!! We need to bring back the incinerators! Poof and it's gone.
There is a underlying issue to trash piles strategically place in close proximity to allentowns allowable criminal administrative activities? There are far too many that have the go ahead with criminal activities around the last stragglers that have a steak in certain areas?
It's not the blind leading the blind it's the top criminals leading there lower level staff!!!
If there appears to be a problem, do a survey.
It’s all theater.
How are household containers gonna work on streets with row homes and multiple rental units?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Giant wheeled trash containers have already been suggested, however, where do center city folks stash them... remember, it's a sweep offense to keep trash cans or bags in front of your property and most folks won't think of wheeling a can thru their house. NEXT idea!
If there appears to be a problem appear to find a solution.
The problem is clear - a significant portion of the population is composed of people who feel totally comfortable with littering and throwing their garbage out on the sidewalks and streets. The problem is animals, correct.
Has anyone ever watched when the trash truck goes through? Those guys are hustling, but that’s also where a lot of the problems come from. They often try to throw the bags into the back of the truck. Sometimes they miss and the bag splits open. They don’t clean the spills up very well. Don’t even get me started on what happens when they dump the paper recycling into a slowly moving truck, especially on windy days.
But Allentown’s trash problem isn’t limited to collection days. I think a large part of the problem is that the city removed many of the public collection bins (that hang on poles) to reduce the manpower needed to pick it up. That trash now ends up staying on the street. Even on blocks where there are cans, they sometimes are overfilled and need more frequent emptying.
My suggestions would be as follows:
1). Install more collection bins on poles. Make sure they’re regularly emptied.
2). On blocks where the pole bind are constantly overflowing, take that as a sign that the block needs more of the pole bins.
3). Find a way to reward or recognize blocks that are well kept or improve the most.
4). Almost all of the downtown has weekly street cleaning. Encourage residents in those areas to sweep the litter, leaves and other debris off their sidewalk once a week (on their street cleaning day) and into the gutter so the sweeper can get it.
5). Cite problem properties. I guarantee you that there are one or two properties on a block that are creating most of the problems on that block. It could be a corner store, a rental property, or a residence. Identify them, educate them, and cite them if the problem continues.
6). Get the recycling and SWEEP bureaucrats out of their offices and into the neighborhoods. Right now, they want to sit in their offices and respond to complaints by sending out letters to offenders. They need to be proactive and find the problems before they’re reported. Not every block has someone that will call in.
7). Respond quickly to missed trash collections. I’ve seen trash (from missed collections) sitting on the curb for days. Sometimes it’s left there because there is a “problem” with what is put out or it’s not being called in. Often it’s because the house it belongs to is at work and doesn’t even realize it’s been missed until they get home in the evening and there’s nobody in the city still working that they can call (if they even know to call). When a missed (for whatever the reason) collection is identified, get it off the street immediately. Don’t let it linger to be picked at by animals or played with by kids.
8). Remind police and other city departments that are on the street regularly to contact the Solid Waste Department when they see missed pickups or problem properties. Ask all city employees to do the same as they go to/from work.
9). Be on the lookout for illegal dumpers. Sometimes items are illegally placed on the curb by others. Make sure this is something that police, other city employees and residents are looking out for and know how to report.
I'll be honest I agree with trash being containerized. However, this should have been looked at BEFORE they signed the new contract. The city provides recycling containers, why can't they provide trash containers for those who need it? I also agree with everything that anon at 3:02 said. Trash pick up was missed on my street numerous times, are they held accountable in the same way that a house would get a $25 SWEEP ticket?
You can put 5 dumpsters on every block. Get it through your head. The city is a shit hole!!! It doesn't appear it will be changing anytime soon. Welcome to Matt's heartbeat of the Lehigh Valley.
It's a poorly conceived idea that shows how clueless the City is about litter. Asking today's Allentown resident in the more urban areas of the City to throw their trash in a can would be like asking them to park their car in a nearby legal spot and not double park. Littering is a fundamental cultural trait that will not be changed by having more trash cans. In my neighborhood as much as half the litter is thrown from car windows. In summary, I don't think the City can prevent littering at this point and enforcement of littering laws would be too challenging.
Exactly, this is the truth no one wants to speak and fewer want to hear. We've lived here for decades and have seen it all. Allentown's students leave trails of litter wherever they tread. Why do they do this? Perhaps they just don't care, Perhaps because everyone they know does the same. Many times I've seen parents clean out their car on the street, throwing the litter on the curb in front of their children. Years ago recycling had a program called clean getaway, it was an anti litter campaign that was focuses on the schools. Given time it could have made a difference but with so many other good programs in the city it was cut. Why are there no anti litter campaigns in our schools or in the city itself. Why is no one ever fined for littering? We know the answer, total apathy on the issue. City leadership is worse than useless, their solutions can be counted on to be worse than the original problem.
Poof, and it’s gone into the air and the water.
Cool.
The city is going down the drain.
He now, you have to pay for anything that goes down the drain as well. Lmao
9:03- YES, poof and it's gone!!! With today's scrubbers and advanced technology , incineration would be more preferable than burying garbage in a landfill, IMHO.
Safe, healthy, clean!!
Visit Bethlehem, Easton, or LMT.
Do you see garbage all over the streets?
Yes, burn it. With today’s technology it is completely safe.,
Completely….in my humble opinion.
:)
We should just put all of the trash on a SpaceX rocket and blast it into space. Ms Patel can use the money from unpaid SWEEP tickets to fund the launches….if she starts collecting.
Remember, she needs more staff that was already provides two years ago for aging money due the city?
Let’s burn the trash as a previous comment recommended, that worked out well for our armed forces overseas.
One of the main reasons Allentown is full of garbage is due to the residents. The sooner Allentown recognizes it's painfully obvious people problem, the sooner they may address it. The second you cross the line from Allentown to Bethlehem, the difference is obvious... clean, no loiterers and no crazy drivers.
It's understandable that there are doubts about combating litter. I worked for the Recycling and Solid Waste Bureau for nearly 20 years. What we discovered then was rhat more litterbaskets aren't the solution to the problem. Residents end up putting their regular trash in the baskets on almost a daily basis which necessitates additional collection crews. In the meantime, pedestrians still throw their litter on the ground. EDUCATION is the only way to fight litter, unless there are sworn City officers who witness the act of littering and they ticket the person who did it on the spir.
Post a Comment