Violators to be fined up to $100

The city’s new trash collection program with R & R Sanitation Inc. makes it possible to see who leaves their trash out longer than 24 hours.

Kent Health Commissioner John Ferlito said with only two days of the week set aside for trash collection, any trash on lawns after that is in violation of an ordinance requiring residents to keep their curbs and lawns clean. Ferlito said violators could be fined up to $100.

Ferlito went around earlier this week to troublesome trash streets to warn people about the new fine and remind them to keep their trash under control.

“We’re starting to educate people about this,” Ferlito said. “Keeping your yards picked up and clean. It keeps the community looking nice and clean.”

Before, with the different trash pick up days around the city, Ferlito said they couldn’t figure out who was keeping their trash on the lawn too long. Now with Mondays and Tuesdays dedicated to trash collection, it’s easy to discover the violators.

“I’ve lived here nine years, and Kent’s always been big on beautification,” Greenberg said.

Greenberg said she has always had R & R Sanitation as her trash collector, and the only difference for her is the day switch from Thursday to Monday.

“We always get a little lazy picking up trash sometimes but never have had a problem,” she said.

But Crain hasn’t normally been a problem street. Ferlito said the majority of problems come from University Drive, College and Sherman streets.

Tyler Hoffe, resident of University Drive, said he has never been fined.

“I understand why people wouldn’t want to go walking through that,” he said.

Dan McGreevy, a fellow housemate, said Ferlito did come and knock on their door Monday to pick up the trash in the yard.

They use a dumpster behind their house to collect trash and a truck comes to pick it up every Monday morning.

Alicia Busher, resident of Sherman Street, said she and her housemates keep their trash in garbage bins.

“We roll them out front every Sunday night,” she said. “We’ve never missed a trash pick-up day, but if we did, we wouldn’t leave it out front.”

Busher said sometimes they do just throw garbage bags out, but haven’t gotten into any trouble for it yet.

Busher also said she did seen Ferlito knocking on doors earlier this week, but he didn’t come to her house.

The best way to avoid the fine is to put trash in a trash can and not all over the lawn or in a bag, he said.

“You can get cited if the trash is in bags but not as long as it’s neat. It’s only if it gets torn into or something,” Ferlito said.

Contact public affairs reporter Amy Szabo at [email protected].