Trash & Garbage
Overflowing dumpsters behind two student "box" rentals.
There is more trash and garbage junk and junkcars appearing all over our community. We are also aware that junk appliances that have been paid for to be removed are not being picked up too. It seems that some folks just don't know how to put the trash out!
Most of the trash and garbage problems occur at rental properties, especially in the areas densely populated by students. If only Mom & Dad could see how they live now!
Rental property owners need to provide adequate garbage receptacles as required by City ordinances. They also need to make sure their tenants put their trash out properly, since the property owners will be held accountable for their tenant's behavior.
Tenants need to be held accountable for their actions, so landlords need to establish policies to ensure tenants properly dispose of their garbage and trash. The City should establish requirements of occupants regarding trash and garbage too.
The City does have Trash & Recycling Guidelines that provide the basics, but too many are not being followed by a small number of people, so we end up with trash and garbage all over.
This is not just an issue of aesthetics! Organic garbage is a breeding ground for insects and attract wild animals and vermin. Water also collects in receptacles without lids and other trash, creating the right ingredients for disease carrying mosquitos to lay their eggs.
The City R.E.N.E.W. Action Plan has helped in a few areas, but this is only part of the solution. The City has to be more aggressive in spotting inappropriately placed trash and garbage. The City's garbage hauler and contract haulers need to report problems they encounter on their routes, rather than just hope things bet better on their own.
Contract garbage haulers do not usually pickup loose trash on the ground, so much of this trash will sit there for days, weeks or even months. Note there is no privacy screen or fence around these dumpsters so they are joys to look at and any loose trash will simply blow away whenever there is a wind.
Residents of other nearby properties will sometimes use their neighbor's dumpsters because they don't have sufficient garbage receptacles.
This is the way it should be done! Garbage placed in receptacles with closed lids, recyclables placed in recycling bin. All placed on the curb the night before scheduled pickup. See Trash Guidelines for more info.
Organic garbage and trash in plastic bags placed on the curb days before scheduled pickup. Stray and wild animals will often get into the garbage so by the time it is picked up, some of it will be strewn all about. This student rental does not have any garbage cans! See Trash Guidelines for more info.
Empty cans fill up with water creating ideal conditions for mosquitoes to lay their eggs. Empty student rentals often will have cans without lids like this one sit all summer long. See Trash Guidelines for more info.
A rare find! A garbage can lid behind a student rental, but this one is being used for a mosquito breeder. See Trash Guidelines for more info.
This rental also has no garbage receptacles. Garbage and trash are placed out back whenever, only to be dragged around by animals and blown by the wind. Note the weeds, weed trees and dilapidated garage. See Trash Guidelines for more info.
Bashed garbage cans without lids behind student rentals. This is after garbage pickup! See Trash Guidelines for more info.
The tenants of this rental had put their trash out too early and someone apparently bumped into it with a car, spewing it all over the street. Most, but not all of it was picked up later the next day.
Empty beer bottles in a paper bag. This is not the way to recycle glass! This rental property apparently does not have a recycling bin, although considering the large quantities if glass bottle and aluminum cans, some need 2 or even 3 recycling bins per unit! See Trash Guidelines for more info.
This trash has been in the street in front of this rental for weeks! See Trash Guidelines for more info.
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Right idea, but wrong application! La Crosse County burns cardboard to generate electricity at the Excel Energy incinerator, it doesn't recycle it. See Trash Guidelines for more info. |
La Crosse only recycles newspapers, aluminum cans, steel (tin) cans, and glass from bottles and jars. Plastics and cardboard go in the trash. See Trash Guidelines for more info. |
Close but not quite.
Organic garbage must go in closed garbage receptacles, plastic bags provide
little protection from wandering animals. Paper and cardboard are not recycled
in
Refrigerator with the door still on plus loose garbage and trash behind this student "box" rental. See Trash Guidelines for more info.
This is the other side of the same alley, with more overflowing garbage and trash from another student rental. See Trash Guidelines for more info.
A wild animal or someone decided to drag this bag of garbage into the street!
Overflowing garbage cans without lids and with loose trash behind two student rentals. Detect a theme? See Trash Guidelines for more info.
Another overflowing garbage can in front of a student rental. This picture was taken 5 days before the scheduled trash pickup for this neighborhood! See Trash Guidelines for more info.
It isn't just students who can make a mess. This is behind a rental occupied by a couple of families with small children. See Trash Guidelines for more info.
Well at least the cans are empty! The garbage hauler does not pickup loose garbage and trash on the ground. See Trash Guidelines for more info.
Overflowing recycling bin, with many inappropriate items. Workers for the garbage hauler frequently will throw the whole lot into the garbage truck since it isn't sorted properly. See Trash Guidelines for more info.
More leftover glass bottles in a paper bag. These will likely end up being broken and sit for weeks or months before someone finally deals with them. Note the wide range of flavors! See Trash Guidelines for more info.
Loose trash and garbage all over the place at yet another student rental. Perhaps a Remedial Housekeeping course should be required in order to attend our fine educational institutions? See Trash Guidelines for more info.
If you see inappropriate trash and garbage, or inadequate numbers and types of garbage receptacles, whether it is a residential rental property, an owner occupied rental property or a commercial property, please report it to either the:
· Building & Inspection Dept. (if on private property) @789-7530, or
· Recycling Dept. @ 608-785-7508.
All pictures were taken in
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Revised December 16, 2004