A virtual roundtable was held Thursday evening in Springfield, Massachusetts to discuss the city’s litter problem.
There is no single magic solution, but the Advisory Litter Committee, gathered by Springfield Ward 6 City Councilor Victor Davila, was given plenty of ideas to pursue during the 90-minute forum attended by 30 people including officials from the city’s public works, parks, and code enforcement departments.
“Great back-and-forth, an excellent robust conversation,” Davila said. “I have heard some wonderful ideas.”
He the committee aims to present its recommendations by the end of March.
Suggestions at Thursday night’s roundtable included introducing anti-litter curriculum in the schools, more frequent street sweeping, tougher enforcement with higher fines, scheduling curbside recyclable collections weekly rather than the current bi-weekly pickups, and planting more flowers –because research has apparently found people are less likely to litter around flowers.
What is clear is the city can’t sweep or pick up its way out of the problem, said Forest Park neighborhood resident Jane Hetzel, who like many during the roundtable called for an all-encompassing approach.
“So, I hope there is prevention, with comprehensive anti-litter campaigns,” she said.
Along with the stick, the city should offer a carrot, said Forest Park resident and City Councilor At-large Kateri Walsh.
“In Ireland they have ‘The Tidy Town Award’ and it was a big deal to get that banner or sticker,” Walsh said. “Incentives do work.”
It is not as if the city is doing nothing.
Police officer Chad Joseph, a member of the Springfield Police Department’s Ordinance Squad, said “thousands” of citations for littering, sanitary code violations, and the like are issued every year.
“We have to get more on the proactive part rather than just be reactive,” he said.
The Parks Department alone hauls away 300 tons of trash a year, said director Pat Sullivan.
Recently, the administration of Mayor Domenic Sarno announced a partnership with Roca, the organization that works with young adults to disrupt the cycle of poverty, violence, and incarceration, to assemble three five-member teams to respond to litter complaints made to the 311 call center or by email to: litter@springfieldcityhall.com.
To highlight the challenge of keeping the city clean, DPW Director Chris Cignoli said he was forced to order the removal a few years ago of most sidewalk trash cans because these were being used for illegal dumping by people who filled the receptacles to overflowing with garbage bags.
“In the South End – and I’m not going to name the businesses – there would be 20-30 (garbage) bags and the explanation was ‘I don’t have to pay for a dumpster because the city will come and pick it up’,” Cignoli said.
The city is now looking to a new model of trash can with a smaller opening and is planning to put these on sidewalks within view of surveillance cameras.
A system of hidden motion-activated cameras has been used for a decade to catch people illegally dumping trash bags, tires, mattresses and such, said Sullivan.
“We go to court with these individuals and it has been successful and we quarterly do a public shaming where the newspaper prints their picture,” he said.
The city now has 22 hidden cameras located at undisclosed areas where there have been complaints about illegal trash dumping.
