“Dear PoPville,
Has anyone in the community had success or able to offer helpful suggestions for a request to the city to add and service a new city trashcan?
It seems the installations are hit or miss from the start; I sometimes see 3 or 4 with a couple of blocks, mostly unused, while other areas with busy pedestrian traffic and frequent trash issues go without. Our little stretch of Truxton is definitely in the latter.
Between trash tossers from commuter traffic (which surprisingly is still a thing), messy pedestrians apparently tired of carrying to-go cups and unhoused individuals who don’t have a home, much less a trash bin, I and other neighbors are constantly collecting and removing large quantifies of common household trash (bottles, cans, fast food containers, napkins, etc.) from our otherwise pleasant residential street.
It’s a bit sad because some folks are trying. Unhoused individuals visiting the area resource centers often place trash in disposable bags and hang them on gate posts since there is no public trashcan for disposal. Despite their efforts, these bags sometimes overflow or get blown onto the sidewalk or street on gusty days. And when neighbors collect the trash, it all must be brought back to our respective homes for disposal with our personal trash (which as we know the city frowns upon).
I plan to submit a request — with photos and background — to the city via our ANC and Council members and through nearby condo association boards. I also plan to solicit help from our neighborhood civic association. But I am curious if anyone has had experience with this particular type of request. Are there certain arguments the city finds more persuasive? Are there specific individuals or departments to whom the requests should be submitted for a faster or more receptive response? Even if we log a 3-1-1 requests, which I likely will, I think it would be helpful to enlist support directly as well.
I have no illusions the trash issues will go away. But having a dedicated trashcan would certainly help, both for those trying to do the right thing and for those like myself and other wonderful neighbors picking up after those less inclined or unable to do so.”