Council Resolution Would Regulate Commercial Trash Pick-up Time

Library trash put out Friday afternoon. Not the first time.

Many individuals and community groups have contacted elected officials regarding noisy business trash pick-up taking place throughout the night.

Residents from the North End, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, the Leather District and Chinatown are disturbed literally in the middle of the night by trucks emptying dumpsters at 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning.

The noise issue has made its way to the Boston City Council and the State House where some action is being taken to resolve the situation.

At-Large Councilor Felix G. Arroyo and District Councilor Michael Ross have introduced a home rule petition to give the City of Boston authority to regulate commercial trash collection time.

District Councilor Sal LaMattina whose district includes the North End/Waterfront area also supports the idea.

“Presently trash may be collected in the middle of the night right outside the windows and door steps of residents without consideration to those who are living near or next door to businesses,” Councilor Arroyo said.

Although the City grants permits to haulers providing trash collection services, current state law prevents the City from restricting the hours of the day when garbage can be picked-up in business or commercial areas Councilor Arroyo pointed out.

State Representative Aaron Michlewitz, who also represents the North End/Waterfront neighborhood, is working with his colleagues on legislation that would enable all municipalities to regulate the timing of trash pick-up in commercial and business districts.

State Senator Anthony Petruccelli told the Review he will support the legislation and push it through the Senate.

Senator Petruccelli, Representative Michlewitz and Councilor LaMattina have heard the noise message at community meetings and committed some sort of action to relieve residents of this problem.

Councilor Michael Ross said, “I am pleased to join Councilor Arroyo to help improve the quality of Boston’s downtown residents with this sensible proposal.”

“What we would like to ensure is that our residents and businesses are able to peacefully co-exist and thrive in our City,” stated Councilor Arroyo.

Both community groups, NEWNC and NEWRA have expressed the support for regulating commercial trash pick-up times in their community.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.