City to revise garbage ordinance

At the request of City Attorney Mark Hughes, Sundance will be taking a look at its current ordinance for garbage. Adopted in 1973, Hughes commented that it’s a “pretty old ordinance” with antiquated language and a few gaps where modern needs are not addressed.

Most importantly, said Hughes, it does not have a provision that requires all household waste to be bagged, which is something CW Waste would like to see added and would prevent littering.

Mayor Paul Brooks agreed that it might well be time for an update, pointing out that, as an example of how times have changed, the city was actually providing garbage bags to customers at the time it was written and would leave them behind when the can was emptied.

Hughes questioned whether there could be other aspects of the ordinance that would benefit from an update. For instance, he pointed to the provision that cans with overflowing bags will not be collected and asks if this is not a case of “cutting off your nose to spite your face” because the overflow will only get worse if the can is left full.

Actually, said Public Works Director Mac Erickson, there is a reason for this provision: when the truck stops to collect the can, it can take a lot of extra time if the employee needs to get out and remove the extra bags before they can pick up the trash can. The problem is usually at its worst when someone clears out a storage unit or otherwise clears out their belongings and other people are unable to put household waste in a shared can.

Hughes pointed to another provision that could perhaps bear some discussion – that it is unlawful to place trash in another receptacle than your own. The mayor directed Erickson and Clerk-Treasurer Kathy Lenz to work with Hughes to figure out which parts of the ordinance need to be updated and which are still relevant at the present time.