North End Trash
All the residents of the North End received this flyer in January reminding us of the trash ordinances in the neighborhood.
Notably:
- Trash is collected Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings
- Trash must be placed in a black 2-ply plastic bag
- The bag must be tied (secured)
- (implicitly) there can be no loose trash
- Recycling should be secured in a clear plastic bag and only put out on Fridays (Thursday nights)
I walked from my apartment to Shop MFI (see map at left) at about 8 PM on Sunday night. I took a picture of every bag/box/large piece of trash I saw on the way there. The table below is what I found.
100% non-compliance. Every one of the properties with trash out at 8PM between Commercial CT (where I live) and Shop MFI (on Lower Salem) was in violation of the Green Ticket Bill and are subject to fines between $25 and $40.
As someone who has fought the North End rodent problem first-hand and who is disgusted by the litter on Foster Street (among others), I understand the need for strict trash codes. But why bother having them if they are simply ignored? And chatter about random blatant violations doesn't mean it's being addressed. It looks to me like 100% non-compliance with next to zero repercussions.
I started this post with addresses included. But, first of all, they would be estimates. Second, I'm not trying to call out landlords or tenants - I'm just confused as to why we have these ordinances and fines on the books but make no effort to enforce them. (and third, I'm sure most residents can figure out which buildings are which)
Key: BT = Bag Type, BC = Bag Closed, LT = Loose Trash, RV = Recycling Violation
| Photo | Comments | BT | BC | LT | RV |
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Kitchen Bags/white/not 2-ply |  |
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Kitchen Bags/white/not 2-ply | |
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Good bags, but the box is loose trash | |
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Kitchen Bags/white/not 2-ply loose trash |
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Kitchen Bags/white/not 2-ply Loose trash Appears that the paper bag is recycling set out on the wrong night and not in sealed clear platic bag. |
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Good secured bags, but the portruding white rod makes it unsecured/loose | |
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Kitchen Bags/white/not 2-ply Loose trash |
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Kitchen Bags/white/not 2-ply | |
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This isn't even real trash. It's phone books that were delivered two months ago still sitting on the stoop. | |
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Kitchen Bags/white/not 2-ply | |
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This person appears to have done everything correctly - 2-ply black bag, recycling separated in a clear plastic bag, all properly sealed. The only problem is that recycling can only be set out on Fridays |
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Kitchen Bags/white/not 2-ply | |
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Kitchen Bags/white/not 2-ply | |
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Unsecured | |
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Kitchen Bags/white/not 2-ply | |
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Kitchen Bags/white/not 2-ply | |
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Kitchen Bags/white/not 2-ply Bag not closed |
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Kitchen Bags/white/not 2-ply The box is loose trash |
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I don't know what this is | |
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I am in Savin Hill and see
I am in Savin Hill and see the same thing. I think that it is the landlords who should be sited and fined, after all they are responsible for their property and making sure tenants comply.
All those people without
All those people without 2-ply bags-- they are just making life easier for the homeless to rip them apart and go through them... So in the end does it really matter?
The phone books aren't trash
The phone books aren't trash -- they're recycling. You're not supposed to put out your recycling at other times of the week. They probably aren't supposed to have loose items on a stairway egress from a building, either (fire code violation).
The city can't seem to keep
The city can't seem to keep its story straight. The law (105 CMR 410.600) says that you can't put trash out before midnight, but the city's own flyer and website say to put it out any time after 5PM. Even people who want to be good neighbors and follow the law are confused.
Most people haven't read the
Most people haven't read the CMRs. (There are some of them (not the ones cited above) which you can't read unless you go to a law library, since they aren't all online.) They care about the city's rules, since the city publicizes them and is the one who enforces them.
And waiting until midnight is impractical for any building with a management company or hired maintenance person, as well as anyone who goes to sleep before then.
I'm not suggesting that
I'm not suggesting that people read the CMRs; I'm suggesting that whoever writes the flyer for the city cite the actual rules (e.g. put it out after midnight) and not just make something up (5PM occurs nowhere in the law; it's just made up out of whole cloth).
As for midnight being impractical, I disagree. Night owls can put their trash out before going to bed; early risers can put it out before going to work in the morning. And the city could shift pick-up later, which would have two benefits: trash trucks wouldn't be competing with commuters for the roads, and maintenance staff could put the trash out when they arrived in the AM.
The city's inability to think this through clearly, and the city's failure to understand that what works in West Roxbury might not work in the North End (or vice versa) is disappointing.
Bag type looks to be the most
Bag type looks to be the most common. Is this because the bag type isn't available for a standard kitchen waste basket size?
Get a life-I understand about
Get a life-I understand about the rodent problem but seriously using the wrong type bag!this is a city,at least they put rubbish out!
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