Click Here to Take the Trash Survey!
The North End / Waterfront Neighborhood Council (NEWNC) is asking residents to fill out this very brief survey regarding how to improve the trash pickup and recycling procedures in the neighborhood. The questions ask about your preferences for the number of pick up days for both regular garbage and recycling, the hours that trash should be allowed on the street and whether you would support community dumpsters Names are optional but we ask for your street. This survey will run through February 2, 2013.
Survey results will be discussed at the February 11, 2013 NEWNC meeting, 7:00 pm at the Nazzaro Community Center, 30 N. Bennet Street.
Please share with your neighbors!
Willl somebody please tell me what the Trash Ordinance
is suppose to be doing for the North End.
The streets are filthy, there are empty cases of beer and
broken bottles all over the No. End, and do our City and
State Officials think any of these Ordinances are really
effective.
Wake up and smell the coffee, do Not wait for another year
or so to go by and leave us in this constant mess.
What proof do we have that their Real Estate Taxes are
effected, show us in Black & White, and that is not
good enough because the problem is still here and going
stronger.
I would be very very sad if the trash days were reduced to twice a week. Where are we supposed to store our trash in these tiny apartments? Please don’t urge the city to lessen the frequency of trash pickup in an area of the city where we have so many issues with trash pickup. I think it would make the situation worse. People would still be putting trash out and the trash companies would be coming by less frequently… it’d be filthy.
1. Let’s get Bova’s to start walking around each morning in 100 yard radius and picking up the trash its drunken customers throw on the ground around Salem and Prince streets. They have the benefit of being the late night food place, they should pay the cost of cleaning up for this benefit.
2. Three day trash pick up is an absolute must. I support a Saturday trash pick up, if that is even possible. So much trash is generated on Fridays with family gatherings, tourists, parties, whatever the case may be, that having a saturday morning trash pick up would be great. Even if it were just the guys walking on foot picking up trash from the night before, it’d be a huge improvement.
3. I like the idea of public dumpsters, but access would need to be controlled so outsiders aren’t coming in to dump trash.
I agree with you on #1 and #2!!
The public dumpsters make me nervous, though. Wouldn’t they be the dream location for rats and other critters? How would they keep it from being a completely infested area? I would *not* want the public dumpsters to be near me for that fear and also for fear of the smell on a warm day!
Yeah, the public dumpsters could be terrible. I’m not a pro when it comes to this stuff, but I would imagine they could be done right.
Let’s hope NEWRA/NEWNC takes note of our agreement on #1 and #2!!! I’ll hold my breath . . . .
I agree with “concerned”
It’s 2013 and you guys have had meetings after meetings and u still can’t get it right ! How did those brooms work out for you ?? What a joke ! Go talk to NYC and see how they do it !!!! Or Bermuda spotless I think maybe if you have 3 meetings a week you may figure it out !
I walk on North Street a lot and noticed that it’s never clean. Trash everywhere.
To be honest, if I were looking to make the North End my home (well it is) I would look at the trash problem and go elsewhere!
This is a universal problem in charming, high visitor neighborhoods and villages. Maybe some thought should be given to: Enforcement, a few strategic signs, and seriously high fines. Beacon Hill has the same issues.
90% of the landlords don’t live in the North End anymore and only come in to pickup their rent on the 1st of every month and couldn’t careless how bad it’s getting here! Start with $1000 fines for buildings that put out their garbage days ahead of time or the young idiots that miss the pickup time and leave the garbage out till the next pickup day ! It’s all over the streets but the board doesn’t want fines that high because they are the every owners of some of the buildings
agree 100%.
What “board” are you talking about? The members of NEWNC and NEWRA who own business or buildings are highly responsible, and they wouldn’t fear any fines. They are model citizens of our neighborhood, and are working as hard as they can to come up with a solution that the residents can collectively get behind.
college kids pollute the neighborhood with all of their garbage, beer bottles and all sorts of other $hit. This is why the neighborhood is infested with rats.
Wow
The north end was infested with rats long before the students and young professionals moved here. Try blaming it on the restaurants and ALL of the residents who put trash out improperly and the trash pickers who rip open bags looking for bottles and cans.
es is right the NE was always infested with rats. I would
hear them in the walls of my apt. and had them in my apt. this is going back 35 years ago. In my younger years living their the rats were less of a problem because everyone had to put their trash in the silver tin barrels with covers that the landlord supplied.
I agree Bob fully, there is where the 1st set of stiff fines need to be , have a street walking official with a ticket book. OH, thats right ! go green no paper we can do it dig. sm,art phone now So long as the fines go to these young collage kids and show them how to repect someone elses area. as well as for anyone .
As a long time resident I’d be happy to help in working towards a solution with the City, NEWNC, residents, etc.
The problems I see (I’m sure there are more, feel free to chime in):
-Late night scavengers (open bags, trash strewn on streets and sidewalks that gets left behind – all of which attracts rats).
-Littering (regardless of who litters, I think we can agree littering in and of itself is a problem).
-Lack of space to store trash in apartments or basements (hence the need for multiple pickups).
-Lack of on-site trash chutes or in-house dumpsters (similar to those of newer buildings).
-Lack of alleys to place private dumpsters (similar to those in newer, planned neighborhoods like Back Bay).
-Lack of multiple pickup of recycling.
-Controversy/disagreement on when trash should be put out on the curb.
I’ve spoken to the City about all of this before and to many residents/friends to see what concerns people have. While personally I’d like to see less trash pickups and more recycling pickups (like a Monday and Friday pickup of both trash and recycling – which would reduce the number of days trash is physically at the curb), I can see how this would be a burden to many people who would then have to store trash within their dwelling. It would put less trash on the streets, but that only means the trash would tend to pile up in your house – maybe not the best compromise.
We all know it’s impossible to make everyone happy and that change is not easy. But a few things to think about:
1) Keep the trash pickup at 3 days a week. We are all used to it. Some folks only generate a bag a week, larger families and families with babies for sure generate more and come to rely on the pickup days. These buildings will never be retrofitted with trash chutes and dumpsters – space is too valuable. Most basements have been converted to living space or maybe are simply off limits – whatever the case, the buildings themselves are not equipped to store trash. Advantage: residents.
2) Add an extra day of recycling pickup (on the same day as a trash day pickup). Seems Monday would be a good day, as weekends tend to generate a lot of recyclable items (bottles, cans, Regina boxes, etc). It prevents buildup of recyclable items within dwelling units. It’s not mentioned very often but due to only one pickup of recycling a week, a lot of people complain that recycling bags tend to build up in their apartments (as well as trash). Advantage: residents.
3) Shift the trash pickup time to 9 am and stipulate that trash can’t be put out before 4 am. Here’s where a bit of compromise might be required by those of us who are used to putting trash out the night before. But it seems this could work just fine – I obviously can’t speak for everyone but it seems that during this window of time the majority of people are leaving the house to start their day. This would eliminate the night time problems of trash such as scavengers and would help to cut down on rodents. I think it would put more onus on the City to change than on the residents.
I sincerely don’t think neighborhood dumpsters would be the answer. Instead of discrete days and times of visible trash there would be perpetual heaps of visible trash as well as illegal dumping, non-resident trash, smell of rotting trash, rodents, etc. Then comes the question of where to put them and the associated “not in my backyard” pushback. They’d be a constant eyesore amongst otherwise beautiful settings in an historic neighborhood. We simply dont have the service alleys to support dumpsters that other neighborhoods do (and I’ve personally seen rat fiascos in those alleys). It’s true, major cities in Europe use this system but this does not mean it’s the right system or a system that works. They come with the pricetag of the downsides I mentioned above. It would seem to me that such a system benefits the Public Works more than the residents it is meant to serve.
A lot to digest for sure. None of what I wrote here addresses outright littering. In a way that’s more of a mentality than a tangible item that we can solve with a few modifications to the current trash system. We can argue all day about who is doing the littering but I think the common thread is a general lack of respect for the neighborhood – not sure how to solve that one.
I sent a private message to NEWNC, would be happy to discuss further. Will try to make the next meeting on this, hopefully those of you who read this would be up for some productive discussion.
Thanks.
Francesco S, as a member of NEWNC, I can tell you that this is the kind of thoughtful analysis that we need more of. No. 3 is similar to a formal proposal that we considered, but we got enormous opposition that sent us back to the drawing board. Keep participating as you are, and please consider running for NEWNC in May.
Bill – I believe NEWNC has my email address. Please contact me so we can talk further and share more thoughts on how I can maybe contribute to this issue as well as other neighborhood issues.
Thanks.
Some really good ideas but ….
I have seen (and heard) trash pickers out on my street at 5 and 6 AM. They will adjust their hours I think and still make a mess. Unless the bottle/can deposit is eliminated the problem will persist unfortunately.
I thought greasy Regina’s (and other) pizza boxes could not be recycled. I wish people would learn to break them down and put them in a trash bag. People put them out sometimes with a slice or two still in the box. The rats love them and so do the flying rats aka pigeons.
As famous North End descendant JFK approximately said “ask what you can do for your neighborhood.” If you live in the neighborhood, and see trash on your street, pick it up. If you have a shred of pride in, or concern for the value or image of, the north end, pick it up. get an e-z-grabber and put it in your entranceway with a bag. owners, tenants, residents and especially businesses that let trash accumulate in the gutters should be shamed and fined. Let businesses and restaurants know they are losing your business if their gutters are filthy, as that is probably how their backrooms and kitchens are as well. Those businesses and restaurants that open for the day, and don’t clean their stoops when they unlock their doors don’t deserve your business or to be in the neighborhood.
Francesco – I agree with you completely!
I think moving the trash pick up to 4am the day of and pick up starting at 9 am would be the best solution. It’s get rid of people having to walk around the trash at night. It would limit the amount of people rummaging through the trash at night and ripping bags open. These ripped open bags allow for additional trash to fall onto our streets. People also like to place trash they have in hand on top of existing trash and this also falls to our streets.
To solve the Bova’s trash issue – how about placing a city trash bin there. Salem St is a well traveled street yet it has limited trash containers. Give people a places to put their trash – other than the street!
I don’t not agree with a public dumpster. First where would it go? Granted Bartlet place has appeared to become the neighborhood dumpster. I also have personally seen a North End Landlord (who owns multiple buildings) come into the city with a truck/van filled with trash and construction materials that he brings into the city!! Why give someone like him the ability of free trash dumping. I can assure you he will be sure to fill it up with trash and building materials as he currently does to our streets!
That’s my 2 cents…
FIrst …who the Hades is going to go out at 4 AM to put out their trash?
Second…there has been a city trash can on the Prince St side of Bova’s ( just before the entrance to the bakery) for years which more often than not is filled with household trash. People who go to Bova’s in the wee hours are not consuming their snacks outside the bakery (the detail cop is there to prevent that from happening). Drunks eat their Bova’s stuff walking home and they throw the bags, containers, wrappers and napkins where they finish …in the street, in planters, in stairwells, in storm drains…because they are drunk and clueless. Tourists do the same because they think this is disneyland north.
Which is exactly why more public trash cans are needed. The issue is that the police detail (a/k/a Officer Krumpy) tells customers to “move along.” So they do not use the Bova trash can on Prince Street. Either Bova’s needs to start cleaning up the 100 yard radius or they should be shut down from the late night sales it makes so much money on. How hard would it be for one of them to go out around 5 am (they are open 24 hrs after all) and pick up the trash from a few hours before, before regular folks are leaving for work or the tourists show up.
But to single out Bova’s is not necessarily fair. Up and down Salem you have litter-generating businesses, like the gelato places, take-out pizza, etc. where people buy something and eat on the street as they walk around the neighborhood. Nobody wants to litter, and nobody wants to see the litter, so a few more trash cans like the ones on Hanover are NEEEDED!!!!!
unfortunately the sidewalks are not wide enough for the type of barrels that are on Hanover St. Between the illegal tables and the sandwich boards and the bikes there is no room to walk as it is now. There used to be trash barrels on Salem St but the businesses complained and the city removed them. The detail cop tells the Bova’s late night patrons to move along because the neighbors don’t want to listen to the noise from the snacking drunks’ conversations (they do not realize how loud they are talking and/or how much the noise echos off the buildings) . Should the businesses be responsible for the fact that these people are pigs (tourists included) and just throw stuff anywhere? BTW…good luck trying to get Bova’s hours rolled back. Many people before you have tried and lost and many people after you will get the same result.
I’m sure there is a type of trash can that fit on the sidewalk. As you said, they find room for sandwich boards and other stuff, they can find room for a trash can.
Rolling back the hours should be the stick if Bova’s refuses to do its part to pick up its customers’ trash. Allowing them to be open 24 hours, essentially a monopoly, is a huge carrot that will want to keep.
The businesses should be responsible. They are here capitalizing on the neighborhood, it should be a cost of doing business.
ES – most likely very few would put trash out that early. The motivation of the suggestion is just to prevent trash from being out on the curb all night. The emphasis is on shifting the trash pickup by a couple hours (say, to 9 am). Seems most people could then simply carry trash and recycling bags outside as they leave for the day, or for the retired demographic it just means putting the trash out in the morning instead of at night (with less anxiety of having to do it by 7 am).
Most temporary tenants just drop off their trash whenever and where ever they can. There are no trash rules for them. Why should they drop off their trash in front of any building and that building be responsible? So let us stop kidding outselves, that goes for the dog poop bags too. There is no controlling this problem. Tired of fighting trash violations that do no belong to the building. pn
1. The Trash Ordinance that has been in effect for 2
years is a joke, the same people are still trashing our
neighborhood.
2. The Noise Ordinance another Joke, people are still
screaming & destroying residents’ properties.
3. The New Ordinance that is suppose to check out
these Slumlords that are renting to God knows who,
another Joke.
4. Who do we blame? Our Politicians we voted in who
put together these Ordinances that our Mayor signed
to pacify the Residents are only a little slap on the
hand. The Fines should be issued like Parking
Tickets, and when you don’t pay them you are
summons to go to court, which is an inconvience.
People only get away with what you allow them to
get away with. If all these Ordinances were handled
like Parking Tickets you would see a Big Difference.
You can bet your life on 1 thing for sure, none of these
issues are taking place outside the Mayor’s House.
The FINES have to be increased, cameras should be
installed in all the problem areas, and when that area
becomes far too big of a problem, shut them down, and
hit them in the pocket and you will see results.
Oh yes, all you Neighborhood Committees keep voting
for more Liquor Licenses & Roof Decks. There have been
alot of Liquor Related Issues inside No. End establishments that have NOT been reported. There is
a 7% Meal Tax on Every Food Bill, 6.25% goes to the
state and .75% goes to the City.
We have always had a Rat Problem in the North End, but
Tenants, along with Landlords would use Bleach and other
Chemicals to clean side walks & stairs. The State & City
are taking in more money from our Little Neighborhood
then they ever have and they want us to clean gutters.
Like Dom Turzio, check these issues out with N.Y.C. and
if you really want to take it over the top look at Switzerland.
The trash pickers are the main reason the bags are always ripped open and trash is blowing around everywhere. Arrest/fine/deport them and it would make a big difference. It’s usually the same people every time.
Also, if you switch the earliest time you can put trash out to 4am, that makes it impossible for anyone who is working those hours to put out their trash (doctors/nurses/etc).
The city should start forcing everyone to use heavy duty black bags. The CVS bags don’t stand a chance overnight and black bags would hide the contents from the trash pickers.
My understanding is that recycling needs to go in clear plastic bags so that the contents can be visually verified to be recyclable. Empty alcohol bottles are therefore in clear bags, making them also easily identifiable by trash pickers, who seem to leave the bags open. I don’t know what the solution is, but I agree that trash pickers who leave bags open are contributing to the garbage problem.
In relation to the trash ordinances Is there a way to get a report on how many violations have been given out, in what locations, and how much income the the city has generated?
Also another huge problem is the mess that is left behind after the garbage men come by.
thanks J