Napervillians are talking a lot of trash lately.
Two recent stories have me thinking about where we put our garbage and recycling, short term and long term.
First, there’s the issue of residential receptacles and the question of where they belong during the six days of the week when they’re not at the curb for pickup. Seems enough of us have been storing them outside, in front of or beside our homes in clear view to neighbors and passers-by, to raise the question of whether there should be an ordinance against this practice.
You’ve probably seen them, the dark green carts for garbage and the blue carts for recycling, on porches or side yards until the day of the week when they are dutifully wheeled to the curb. To some, this represents a blight on the otherwise flawless Naperville aesthetic. To others, there is little choice of where to place the containers, due to garages that are either full of life’s other items or residents having no garages at all.
The topic was discussed at last week’s Naperville City Council meeting, though no action was taken on it nor were any numbers available on complaints or the number of residents who store their cans outside. But the Naperville Area Homeowners Confederation was asked to provide its point of view on the subject. Naturally, this spawned a debate on Facebook – as seemingly everything does – where folks weighed in on both sides of the issue.
“In my humble opinion: You should make room for your own garbage in your own garage or completely covered hidden area on side or back,” one resident said on the conferation Facebook post about the topic. “I think your stink and mess should be kept inside, please. Thank you.”
At the other end of the spectrum …
“As a family of 5, our garage…even with an extension, is at max capacity. We have bikes, toys, lawn equipment, SUVs and various other items,” another resident posted. “Putting these massive trash and recycle containers in there as well is not feasible. As long as the garbage cans are neatly on the side of the house, it absolutely should not be an issue …”
Public comments on the post seem to be more in line with the latter, even veering toward condemning the issue as trivial. But, voting linked to from the post tells a different story.
When asked, “Should the city of Naperville enact regulations prohibiting the ongoing storage of trash and recycling bins in front and side yards in plain view of neighbors and passers-by?” roughly half of the 467 people who’d voted as of Tuesday afternoon support the response of, “Yes. They are ugly and detract from neighborhood curb appeal.”
Meanwhile, 40 percent had responded, “No. Some residents have no other place to store them.”
The response, “Don’t like them in plain view, but this should be a neighborhood issue, not a city mandate,” was getting 11 percent of the support, in effect making the issue deadlocked.
Finally, one especially insightful resident actually took the time to respond, “I don’t know.”
Thanks for weighing in, oh statesman one.
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At our house, we keep ours in the garage. But, we also long ago gave up on the idea of truly utilizing our two-car garage as such. Were we to go back to the days of parking two cars inside, then these receptacles, ranging in size from 32 to 96 gallons, would likely be among the items that would have to go outdoors.
Luckily, we would probably tuck our garbage and recycling cans inside the fenced dog run adjacent our garage, where they would be out of public view. But then family members would need to walk all the way around to the far side of the house in all elements simply to dispose of anything. Seems a little impractical, in our modern age of creature comfort. Not to mention, what would we do with them someday, should we choose to take that dog run down?
More to the point, what about those occasions when garbage day is Monday, and the week’s trash starts to stink on Tuesday? We’ve all been there. Should we really have no option other than to live with the smell of rotting (fill in the blank with your refuse item of choice) indoors for six days simply so we can spare the public the horror of seeing our bins?
Let’s be honest. As trash and recycling receptacles go, Naperville’s are not that hideous. Most now conform to the homogenous standards required for automated lifting and dumping by trucks. It’s not like we’re talking about true cans, barrels or other containers of all shapes, sizes and varieties.
All of which reminds me of the other trash-related story that caught my attention this week, the one that said the Greene Valley scenic hill will open to the public April 30. Not familiar with the Greene Valley scenic hill? It’s a 190-foot mound in the Greene Valley Forest Preserve that will soon offer hiking, birdwatching and other outdoor activities atop what now stands as the highest public point in DuPage County. And do you know what’s beneath it? Garbage.
If a site that once served as an active landfill for our collective trash from 1974 to 1996 can become an outdoor destination, a thing of beauty even, can’t we settle on what to do with our garbage cans at our houses?
If we’re that concerned about these trash and recycling bins – to the point where the city might mandate they be kept out of sight – perhaps the city should also offer residents mature trees and bushes free of charge to plant in an area alongside their homes, creating some natural cover to keep the bins out of view.
No wonder they call it trash talking. It’s not enough to just concentrate on the problem, if it even is a problem.
Sometimes we can work a little harder to drive toward solutions as well.
Rob Manker is a freelance writer who lives, works and parents in Naperville.
Twitter: @RobManker