INC NEWS - Solid and Yard Waste being mixed before transporting

Fri May 25 11:56:49 EDT 2007

I realize that it takes a while to rebuild a department but am remembering when a certain Solid Waste management person remarked about the state of neglect and disrepair the Compost Taj Mahal was in.  It appears that the composting  and the composting educational effort has fizzled and whatever portion of the $10,000 allocated to this was money not well spent.  It also appears that the discussions about educating the public on maintaining their properties were just that, discussions.

However, as I drive through many older neighborhood's that surround downtown, I see yards with weeds knee high.  The yards pretty much stay the same week after week.  I see curb sides with the black plastic bags and piles of limbs that remain in place week after week.   Is this because there aren't enough people reporting weedy lots and dumped debris and only driving by them or because the processes to correct the problems requires weeks to effect  changes?  Or is it because the property owner refuses to buy the yearly tag for the brown cart.  Or is it all these things.  

At one time we had a task force to address this issue composed of INC members, concerned citizens from various PAC's and Solid Waste representatives.  Some members of the group did quite a bit of research which was turned over to Solid Waste to help solve the problem.  Things dragged on.  Meetings were either scheduled at the last minute or canceled at the last minute by Solid Waste reps.  In the end it turned out that SW was working on a 10 year plan that they were required to do and I (I can't speak for the other representatives still hanging in there) felt like we had been sorely misled about the intent of and the expected outcome by SW of those meetings.

It's what, 3 years later and we're still talking about our yard waste problems and lack of minimal yard maintenance compliance dragging down the appearance of our neighborhoods.

Is our Neighborhood Improvement Services Department currently working with the Solid Waste Department and our Durham Live television group to address  this continuing problem?  

If giving everyone yard waste pickup is too expensive right now, are we putting the thumb to everyone who is in obviously in non-compliance mode as forcefully as we legally can?  And are we actively informing our citizens about what is considered acceptable based on our current codes.  Are we encouraging individuals to help their elderly and/or infirm neighbors keep their yards up?  Are we publicizing where citizens can call to report poorly maintained properties, what constitutes a poorly maintained property and what the process and time table are to correct the problem.

Cheryl Shiflett

-----Original Message-----
From: Barry Ragin <bragin at nc.rr.com>
To: TheOcean1 at aol.com
Cc: inc-list at durhaminc.org; PBaker8667 at aol.com
Sent: Fri, 25 May 2007 4:07 am
Subject: Re: INC NEWS - Solid and Yard Waste being mixed before transporting

More to the point, Bill, why are we paying sixty dollars a year for the 
rivilege of unnecessarily sorting our yard waste from our household 
aste? If the city doesn't do away with this fee in the upcoming fiscal 
ear, everyone who participated in the program during fiscal 07, and 
upported it financially, should be getting a credit towards next year's 
rogram.
Barry Ragin
TheOcean1 at aol.com wrote:
 The neighborhood delegate who brought up this issue might wish to 
 chime in....

 But from my perspective the question seemed more poised from an 
 environmental stand point.
 Glad to know we are fiscally responsible, but if yard waste and 
 garbage are being mixed, it begs the question of why we are being so 
 careful not to mix them at the curb.

 Anyone else feel for the new neighbor who rakes their lawn and puts 
 plastic bags by the curb? We all secretly wonder how long the 
 bags will sit there before the new neighbor realizes they are not 
 going to be picked up.
 If we're mixing yard waste and garbage, those bags need not sit there 
 for eternity, they could be added to a garbage cart with extra room.

 What a nice way to meet your neighbor who doesn't know the system, 
 perhaps doesn't speak English. Offer to top off your trash cart with 
 one of their leaf bags, so they don't become permanent features of the 
 neighborhood, while you explain the system to them.

 In short, if yard waste and home waste are eventually mixed, why 
 shouldn't we mix them at the curb?

 Bill Anderson

 In a message dated 5/24/2007 9:03:14 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, 
 harrisdl2003 at yahoo.com writes:

     Hi all

     Action item from Tuesday's INC meeting referencing Solid and Yard
     waste being mixed before being transported from Durham's transfer
     station to the landfill in Virginia.

     On Wednesday May 23rd, City Manager Patrick Baker presented us
     with a letter dated December 18, 2006 from NCDENR (North Carolina
     Department of Environment and Natural Resources) to Donald Long,
     Director of Durham's SWM, permitting Durham to transport solid and
     yard waste in the same truck from Durham's transfer station to
     Brunswick Waste Management Facility, LLC Landfill located in
     Brunswick, Virginia.

     There is a lengthy explanation for this action in which I will not
     go into, other than to say the action is cost effective and good
     stewards of Durham's financial resources.

     /David Harris/
     /919-906-2023/

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     INC-list at rtpnet.org
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