Is reporting my neighbors for trash violations a waste of time? (mattress, neighborhood)

[atariwhizkid]

How do you tell most of your neighbors that they are slobs without sounding like an a**hole? Most of them do put their trash out, but they do it 2-3 days in advance, and not in lidded cans. I know that rats have become a way of life in B-more, but, man, I'd like to walk into my alley 1 time and not see six or seven of those buggers scurrying away!

With that said, if I make a report through 311 or to the department director, will the Solid Waste people actually come out and investigate our neighborhood's trash problem? Will they cite someone, and if they do, who do they cite? The homeowner or the tenant?

[Woodlands]

Originally Posted by atariwhizkid

How do you tell most of your neighbors that they are slobs without sounding like an a**hole? Most of them do put their trash out, but they do it 2-3 days in advance, and not in lidded cans. I know that rats have become a way of life in B-more, but, man, I'd like to walk into my alley 1 time and not see six or seven of those buggers scurrying away!

With that said, if I make a report through 311 or to the department director, will the Solid Waste people actually come out and investigate our neighborhood's trash problem? Will they cite someone, and if they do, who do they cite? The homeowner or the tenant?

I believe they cite the owner but the notice goes to both. Call it in.... the city is in revenue mode so they WILL investigate and they WILL ticket someone. Also if you go to the 311 Web Site they have a program called 'Rat Rubout' where they bait and poison an alley to kill the rats. I reported a rat problem at the North Ave Light Rail Station.. Rats were having a field day in the ivy that was growing along the hillside. They would dart out under people's feet and down a storm drain.. or after some unsuspecting Sparrow that may have landed to pick up a crumb.. real Wild Kingdom type stuff. The City must have napalmed the place because the next week they had cut the ivy and I saw one poor rat soul suffering as it quietly made peace with its maker behind the ticket machine. A day later he was joined by two others that must have been feasting on his poison ladden hide and a small cemetary began to form along with a few bottle caps and cheeto bags left behind as tributes.....later the whole morbid scene was removed by DPW...lol

[jonjj]

Originally Posted by atariwhizkid

How do you tell most of your neighbors that they are slobs without sounding like an a**hole? Most of them do put their trash out, but they do it 2-3 days in advance, and not in lidded cans. I know that rats have become a way of life in B-more, but, man, I'd like to walk into my alley 1 time and not see six or seven of those buggers scurrying away!

With that said, if I make a report through 311 or to the department director, will the Solid Waste people actually come out and investigate our neighborhood's trash problem? Will they cite someone, and if they do, who do they cite? The homeowner or the tenant?

Report it. The city also has a program that allows you to report something without being identified. It's a number they give you. I use 311 all the time for the alley and it always works. Our problem is someone around here has a mattress fettish and consistently puts them in the alley once he or she is through with whatever happens on them.
One morning, I cleaned the whole alley-I mean bleach and everything. It was looking good. And this lady comes out on her way to work and proceeds to dump a garbage bag right in the alley. I was polite and calmly told her that I was trying to keep it clean. She really was embarrassed and went over to pick it up and take it back in her home. That was about a year ago and so far she has continued to be a "good girl".

[Woodlands]

Originally Posted by jonjj

Report it. The city also has a program that allows you to report something without being identified. It's a number they give you. I use 311 all the time for the alley and it always works. Our problem is someone around here has a mattress fettish and consistently puts them in the alley once he or she is through with whatever happens on them.
One morning, I cleaned the whole alley-I mean bleach and everything. It was looking good. And this lady comes out on her way to work and proceeds to dump a garbage bag right in the alley. I was polite and calmly told her that I was trying to keep it clean. She really was embarrassed and went over to pick it up and take it back in her home. That was about a year ago and so far she has continued to be a "good girl".

Wow.. just wow... I mean what was she thinking "Oh great someone just cleaned the alley.. now there is more room for me to dump my crap".... unreal....