Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012

Trash cart on curb could cost you

You’ll soon have less time to leave your trash or recycling bins on the curb without facing a rebuke and a possible fine.

The new rules, approved Tuesday by the City Council, shorten the length of time that carts, including recycling and yard-waste containers, are allowed to remain on the curb. Under current rules, carts can’t be out any earlier than noon the day before pickup and must be off the curb by 7 p.m. the day after they’re emptied.

The new timeline bars residents from taking their carts out earlier than sundown the day before pickup. Carts will have to be rolled back by sunrise the day after pickup.

Violators will get warnings followed by fines starting at $100. Tickets will go to landlords instead of tenants, a change intended to get the attention of property owners.

Councilman Thomas Crowder, who pushed for the changes, says the problem is common at rental properties. “Nothing is getting the attention of these folks,” he said in a recent committee hearing. “I could go through the whole district on a daily basis, but it’s not my job.”

The city attorney must put the changes in writing and bring them back to the council for final approval.

To educate people about the stricter rules, the city’s solid-waste-services department will launch an education campaign with measures such as leaflets left at houses.

In budget talks this spring, council members will discuss adding more code enforcement officers to the solid waste services staff. Each additional employee would cost about $55,000.

Currently, Raleigh has two enforcement officers responsible for container violations in a city of 420,000 people.