May 20, 2015
Downtown Partnership urges trash reform
To improve the appearance of Downtown Cortland, representatives from the Cortland Downtown Partnership have suggested eliminating curbside garbage pickups downtown and asked the city to consider additional alternatives.
Downtown Partnership Executive Director Adam Megivern and Shannon Terwilliger, owner of the Finger Lakes Tasting Room and a member of the partnership’s design committee, spoke to the Common Council Tuesday about what they think should be done to improve downtown’s appearance forvisitors.
The problem, they say, is curbside pick-up downtown is allowing people from surrounding neighborhoods to dump their trash illegally, and that even when city regulations are followed, garbage out front of restaurants and businesses isunattractive.
During the discussion, Terwilliger said the city’s blue bag system, which requires residents to use only city-issued garbage bags for their trash and city-issued blue bins for recycling are important. But she said something different has to be in place downtown.
“Garbage is garbage,” Terwilliger said. “The blue bags are bags of garbage on the side of our streets — no matter if it’s part of the system. We feel it isn’t quite working for Main Street.”
Overflowing trash cans
Megivern presented pictures taken downtown. These included images of trash bins and trash cans filled to overflowing, different colored bins used for recycling, and a number of instances in which people had apparently dumped trash from their homes in front of businesses.
The pictures also highlighted problems with the fenced-off areas designated for trash from businesses. Doors to the corrals were broken, oil storage bins were leaking contents into parking lots and piles of garbage were revealed in corners of the parking lots once snow had melted.
To combat this, Terwilliger said the partnership is asking the city to consider instituting a waste management plan specifically for downtown Cortland that would involve asking building owners to come up with alternative plans to curbside pick-up and further consolidating dumpsters in enclosed areas.
Other suggestions included installing locking trash cans, prohibiting newspaper deliveries from being dropped off on sidewalks and tougher enforcement for not using blue recycling bins and trash dumping.
After the presentation, city officials said the partnership was heading in the right direction but recognized the issue is one that will take time to address and will require cooperation from the city, businesses and residents.
In the short term, Alderman John Bennett (D-4th Ward) suggested the city Department of Public Works ensure the garbage corrals are working properly and that a businesses’ proper disposal of garbage is encouraged. He also suggested exploring adding a garbage pick-up day during the week.
“The point is to increase awareness of the issue,” Megivern said. “To open up that dialogue. I just want to make sure we all realize ... if we go back to the same things we’ve been doing, we should not expect a different outcome.”
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