Today's Poll: Should the city start requiring cans instead of bags for garbage collection?

It would definitely provide for neater properties, but a few questions -

How would this be enforced? It seems that it would be nearly impossible and a waste of time and resources chasing down homeowners who put out a bag instead of can.

What if, like in my family, I have two cans out and then we put out a bag at the last minute? Would I have to purchase additional cans?

The large cans that are lifted by machine and are on wheels (preferable) hold a whole lot more garbage - only one can per home needed - but the trucks are not equipped to dump them. There is also a current limit on size of the can they are willing to dump manually. Would the city have specific guidelines as to which cans should be purchased? There is a wide variety of sizes of cans - we found out the hard way about the size restriction.

I understand the reason for proposing the use of trash cans. I just wonder how feasible it really is.

The government will tell you what size can you can use (any deviation from the required can size YOU WILL BE FINED ) , what color it will be (standard blue can or YOU WILL BE FINED) and when you are allowed to put it to the curb (to early YOU WILL BE FINED), and DO NOT leave the can sitting there too long or YOU WILL BE FINED, Do not attempt to throw away ANYTHING that is recyclable, or YOU WILL BE FINED.

I have purchased 3 garbage cans in the past 1 1/2 years and they have all blown away. The problem is that the garbage isn't picked up until after I leave for work so there is no one there to bring them in until later. A good gust of wind and they're gone forever. I'm still finding pieces of my last one which appears to have been demolished so I'm assuming it blew into the street and was hit by a truck.

We have a tough enough time enforcing the current laws let alone add another . The garbage as of now should not be put out before 5PM the previous day of your collecton . I see people putting bags out two or three days before pick-up . Lets get the scum bags out over our neighborhoods first then worry about the trash pick-up . Lets focus on one issue and resolve it before we move to the next .

There are a lot of city ordinances and laws - most of which are not enforced. For instance, home and business owners are required to shovel their sidewalks - yeah, right! So, why would anyone think that passing another ordinance is going to solve the problem?

Also - instead of having bags blowing all over the street, you will have garbage cans and lids flying around. I'm not sure you gain anything. Would you rather dodge a flying bag while driving down the street or a garbage can?

As long as it's picked up I dont care. I think the cans with lids would be better to deter cats,squirrles and skunks that are running around the city from tearing open the bags overnight. If they do get cans I hope they use the toaters that the City of Rochester uses,heavy duty,on wheels,fliptop lid is attached and they're rectangular and when they dump them they lay them down so they dont blow around. Also they problably hold a few good size bags of garbage. Also the City of Rochester has a repair truck for them,so if a part breaks they fix or replace it. If they do blow around, be a good neighbor,I've put my neighbors recycle bin and cans on there porch when there not home.

The city could supply a flip top rolling heavy duty trash can and a second can of a different color for recycling, to every household in Batavia. The trash would be picked up once a week and the recycling once every two weeks. Once you remove recylables from the trash stream, you won't need more than one can for each. The whole city could be serviced by one or two truck drivers who operate a mechanical arm on the side of the truck. The initial investment would be a couple of million dollars, for a city the size of Batavia, but the payback time would be pretty quick. Maybe they could get some sort of grant for going "Green." Since the city I'm in went to this method, years ago, almost no trash ends up blowing around. About once a month I police the neighborhood and pick up residual litter. It's never more than a plastic grocery bag full and most of it is just from litterbug slobs. When I first moved here trash pickup was twice a week and each truck had a driver and three workers. On a rainy day I would have to walk down the street a few houses and fish my plastic trash can lid out of the storm drain. I like the way it is now much better. When they started recycling we had little blue open bins, that was a nightmare on a windy day. Cans, plastic bottles and newspaper wound up all over the place, it was a mess. Thankfully the city learned from their mistakes. They keep making new ones, but hopefully they'll learn something from them as well. Good Luck.

I'm with you George. It would be nice but I think the initial investment is more that Batavia can afford right now.

Why should the city be required to provide you with flip top totes? When I lived in Rochester they supplied the totes and people just destroyed them. It ended up being a costly expense for tax payers.

They beat the hell out of the totes, so did the garbage collectors. They ended up in the street, down the street, in the neighbors yards, etc. Garbage collectors would just shove them to the curb and they would sit there all day on their sides stinking or blowing down the street. The end result is the same as bagged garbage but with a higher cost to everyone.

Take it from someone who experienced it, it's a bad idea. Be responsible and don't set your garbage out until pickup day or the night before.

Remember that it's not just the cost of the tote itself. The trucks have to be retrofit with tote lifts and there has to be a running inventory to replace destroyed totes. It just ends up being a costly mess.

These cans do not blow around and do no loose lids. I had one like this in Chicago and California. City or suburb a lot of the country uses these. Depending on the refuse service they are provided by the company when they get a city contract. In Chicago the city provided them directly. No cost of for first can (No cost for a second in Chicago) and they hold about 4 or 5 bags of trash.

http://donniesrefuseservice.com/images/img_3178_ku1s.jpg

The garbage men will enforce the can rule just like they do with grills and other items that take a tag or they are not allowed to pick up. No can, no pick up.

Change takes work, positive improvements are not legislated. Most of the garbage problem is because people are sloppy with how they put the trash out, bags are not the problem it is the Batavia citizens, I use bags about half the time and my trash does not blow all over, even when the local cat eats from it.

Howard, It's strange how different the experience was for the two of us. I simply can't explain it. All I know is that I was forever driving around them or trying to find mine when the neighbors would borrow it..etc. I didn't like them at all.

Might have something to do with the weather, Doug. I've seen winter winds around here uproot heavier and more stable things than a garbage tote, I'm sure we all have. The weather in Ventura differs more that a little bit from that of Upstate NY. I'm sure Howard would say that Ventura had its share of nasty presents from Mother Nature but if we're honest with ourselves I'm sure we can admit to the difference in severity.

Honestly, I like trash pickup the way it is now. Our street has never had an issue with folks putting out the garbage too early and everyone has always taken care of business if and when an animal tears open a bag.