June 2010
Steep fines for trash scofflaws resulting in cleaner streets
Less than a month after the Green Ticket Ordinance went into effect, Beacon Hill is beginning to look cleaner, according to State Representative Marty Walz, who co‐sponsored the legislation that put more teeth into fines given for trash violations.
Walz, State Representative Aaron Michelewitz and BHCA City Services Chair Rajan Nanda walked around the neighborhood on a trash collection day and saw an improvement in the way residents were bagging their trash before putting it curbside, according to Walz’s legislative aide.
Residents who put out their trash and recycling in Whole Foods paper bags or small plastic bags used by neighborhood pharmacies and grocery stores are now being fined from $50 up to $250, according to ISD Code Enforcement officers. Residents who put their trash on the curbside before 5 p.m. are subject to a $25 to $50 fine. And, if the fines aren’t paid, they’ll show up on their tax bills.
Code Enforcement officers now patrol the downtown neighborhoods, including Beacon Hill, from midnight to 7 a.m. in addition to daytime hours. Trash must be put in heavy black bags or tall kitchen white bags. Recycling must be put in clean plastic bags or blue bins. “All over the neighborhood Beacon Hillers are using Whole Foods bags,” said Macken. “They cannot be used for either trash and recycling, nor can the small white plastic grocery bags, because trash spills from them and causes even more litter on the streets.”
When the officers spot trash and recycling improperly bagged, they photograph the evidence and sort through the bags to determine the identity of the offender. For large buildings, the tickets are given to the property owners or condo associations, who must then collect the fines from their tenants, said Macken.
Some residents say they have received tickets for trash piled in front of their property but not left by them. Macken acknowledged that mistakes can be made by the Code Enforcement Officers. The Green Ticket Ordinance, which was modeled after the procedure used for hearings on parking citations, provides an administrative step which will allow for appeals of citations outside the judicial system and penalties for late payments. Those wishing to appeal a ticket should call ISD.
“If you see trash violations,” said Chief Macken, “pick up the phone and call Code Enforcement at 617‐635‐4896 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Outside of those hours, he recommends calling the city’s Hot Line at 617‐635‐4500 or sending in a photo on the Citizen’s Connect application on iPhones.