South DaCola

Trash Can ordinance

The new proposed trash can ordinance has me a bit on the fence;

The Sioux Falls City Council will vote this month on an ordinance that would require residents to keep trash cans hidden — either inside, behind or beside a structure.

Personally, I keep my cans in my garage. The main reason is because I have gotten dogs, cats and other critters who have gotten into them when leaving them outside. I have even had random people ‘add’ to my garbage. I would agree with this assumption though;

Some garbage haulers are worried a proposed change to keep trash bins out of sight will mean more customers forgetting to put them out on collection day.

I forget quite a bit, mainly because my hauler teamed up with another one and they changed my collection day, but also as the old adage goes, out of site, out of mind. I probably forget about 25% of the time to put my trash out.

In some ways the ordinance doesn’t make any sense, because obviously they will still allow the cans to be out on your driveway on collection day, so in some ways, there will always be cans visible any day of the week, on any block in this town. Secondly, most people don’t own there receptacles, so how do you enforce a homeowner to store a trash can that they do not own? And lastly, I am a big property rights person, the city telling people where they need to put their cans is just silly, I think this line says it all;

“To me, it’s just a vote on city aesthetics,” LaVergne said Monday, standing in his driveway in southwest Sioux Falls.

Once again, we have become a city that is worried how things look on the surface instead of worrying about the bigger issue, how much will this cost us in higher fees from the haulers when they have to start digging around for our cans? That and the fact that the landfill is increasing drop rates. Once again it seems we are looking for a solution to a problem that doesn’t need to be fixed and will only end up costing us more.

Dumbass city.

Exit mobile version