Crackdown on Improper Trash and Recycling Disposal

City Councilor Sal LaMattina has ordered Public Works and the city’s code enforcement officers to begin cracking down heavily on improper trash and recycling disposal in Charlestown and elsewhere in his district.

On Tuesday alone, code enforcement wrote 120 tickets for improper trash put out in other neighborhoods.

“Please be alert in the coming weeks and make sure that everyone is informed and educated on the City’s trash regulations,” said City Councilor Sal LaMattina. “Just because enforcement hasn’t been as heavy as it was this week doesn’t mean that regulations weren’t already in place. If your area of the neighborhood wasn’t cited that doesn’t mean it won’t be targeted in the coming weeks.”

Last week five code enforcement officers handed out almost 400 tickets in LaMattina’s district, which includes Charlestown, East Boston and the North End and they will continue to have a presence not only here but citywide as well said LaMattina.

LaMattina said the city will have a zero tolerance policy going forward and trash has to either be put out in barrels or in a heavy two-ply trash bag.

LaMattina has long been working to curb trash and litter in Boston neighborhoods.

LaMattina has worked with local groups across the district to study trash, litter and why it occurs and ways to stop it.

One group found that 73 percent of the litter was thrown litter like cigarette pack, soda cans, scratch tickets.

The group then analyzed where the litter and trash most likely came from and found that 60% of the materials came from corner stores and included items you would find there like cans, candy wrappers, chips bags, lottery tickets phone cards, etc.

They found that a lot of the litter like lottery tickets, cigarette packs and discarded liquor bottles is bought by adults and concluded that the city has a big problem with adults littering here.

While and overwhelming amount of litter is thrown litter the group wanted to start small and target trash put out problems in the city which they found could be anywhere from 30 to 35  percent of the overall problem.

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