March 23, 2000

This is the time of year when people start Spring cleaning. Here in Salt Lake, a different kind of housekeeping going on.

The city is modifying it's neighborhood cleanup program, the once-a-year, extra-heavy trash pickup. Government specialist Richard Piatt explains how those changes may affect you.

The city will pick up tons of debris this year. But they're hoping to pick up a few tons less than last year, by cracking down on people who take unfair advantage of the free pickup.

It's hard for Barbara McLane NOT to think about spring. Her flowers are blooming. It feels good to be outside. She's starting to think about cleaning up, too, already leaving things by the curb for Neighborhood cleanup.

Is it also time to limit the size of such piles? She thinks so.

Barbara McLane/Salt Lake City Resident: "I KNOW IT'S HARD TO GET RID OF SOME OF THESE THINGS. BUT I'VE SEEN LIKE ALMOST WHOLE HOUSES DESTROYED AND PUT OUT THERE."

Huge piles last year prompted proposed pickup limits. Excessive piles of concrete, construction waste, even household trash are costing more and taking more time. To make it more fair, these changes are proposed:

• Eliminating concrete, asphalt and roofing materials.

• Limiting the amount of the pickup to one dump truck load.

• Requiring green waste, or recyclable trees and shrubs, to be separated.

• Reducing the number of days the debris can sit at the curb, from two weeks to 10 days.

Last year's survey of residents shows most people agree with these changes. And it looks like city council does, too.

Carlton Christensen/Chairman, Salt Lake City Council: FOR EXAMPLE LARGE CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION TYPE MATERIALS HAVE BECOME SO HAZARDOUS TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT IT'S CLEARLY AN ELEMENT THAT DOESN'T BELONG IN THE PROGRAM."

Still, you can't make changes to a program like this without getting a little feedback. And it'll come-- the not-so-nice, and the nice.

Mae Fairbanks/Salt Lake City Resident: ANYWAY, WE DO APPRECIATE IT, AND TELL THEM WE LIKE IT.