[OldNorth] New Trash Collection Information

[Valerie Vann]

Davis City web page re: new garbage collection plans:

http://www.ci.davis.ca.us/pw/recycle/newcarts.cfm

There are issues for Old North (and East) with these plans.
I have exchanged a couple of emails with the city about this,
not very satisfactory, I must say.

On the plus side: 
Two smaller size containers will be available for those of
us who don't generate 95 gallons in a month.

Minuses (multiple) e.g.:

The new containers must be placed in the gutter -
Parking issues, plus the high curb - getting
the wheeled container over the curb if you don't have a driveway,
which most don't.

If you can't use your old containers for other purposes,
all they propose is re-cylce as waste plastic. (!!)
(Mine are almost brand new)This is terribly wasteful!

The containers are supposed to be placed with 3 feet of clearance
on each side from parked vehicles. How the city expects us
to do this when we have no control over parked vehicles AFTER
we place them on collection morning (and then most folks won't
be home until evening.) There's already a problem with
yard trash not getting collected because of insufficient
clearance for weeks sometimes, plus sometimes the streets
don't get properly cleaned (down to the curb) for months
due to parking and yard trash.

The city keeps saying that containers must be retrieved in
24 hours, but there's no enforcement of this, so typically
containers sit out for days. (and at minimum are there until
the evening of pickup day, for most households.)

If you want to see how this system "works", drive down a
street in the old core area of Sacramento (where they also
have alleys and high curbs) some garbage pickup day. 
You will see containers
shoved out into the traffic lanes by "parkers", tipped over
containers, large vehicles like buses taking evasive manuevers
to avoid them, etc. etc.

Plus we also have the ongoing issue of WHERE TO PUT OUR
TRASH CONTAINERS (I keep mine on my front porch.)

Perhaps we need to integrate this issue with the parking
district issue? I.e. perhaps a NO PARKING time period (perhaps
on alternate sides of the street?) midnight to noon on 
collection day? Between yard trash piles and garbage containers
in the gutter (at least two per lot), parked cars are going
to be a serious problem.

Another issue for the parking question is painting of
parking spaces. My block was painted at one time, but the
marks are worn away (in fact, the yard trash pickup 
equipment chipped/scraped away most of those in front
of my property), and I increasingly find vehicles parked
obstructing or actually ACROSS my driveway, even when
the marks aren't hidden by yard trash piles.

Valerie Vann