Detroit Residents See $100 Fines Amid Garbage Can Crackdown
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Residents in some Detroit neighborhoods are receiving $100 fines for placing their garbage cans in the wrong spot or leaving it on the curb too long.
Department of Public Works director Ron Brundidge told The Detroit News that the city has recently stepped up code enforcement. He said many of the citations have been the result of complaints -- nearly 500 have been received -- or routine inspections by his department's staff.
City statue prohibits residents who receive curbside garbage collection from placing containers near the curb earlier than 6 p.m. on the day prior to collection and leaving containers on the curb past 6 a.m. on the day following collection.
Garbage cans also aren't supposed to be visible from the street, even when they're moved off the curb and up to a house or garage.
Vanessa Kilgore of Oak Park, who owns a rental property on Detroit's west side, was livid when her tenants received one of the $100 tickets.
"Trying to cut down on the blight, I applaud them for that. But the way they are going about it is wrong," Kilgore told the newspaper. "They should warn you that they are going to enforce this law. And, your first ticket shouldn't be $100. We're not slumlords."
Brundidge admitted that the city needed to do a better job informing residents about the crackdown, so he said officials will hold off on issuing fines for the time being.
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