City taking excess trash to task

June Casagrande

WEST NEWPORT -- Hoping to ward off flies and other vermin that have

been attracted to alleys in past years, the city is handing out warnings

to residents whose trash cans don’t meet city codes.

More than 100 residents in the Newport Shores area have already

received “red-tag” warnings that they were in violation of the city’s

refuse ordinance. Violations range from leaking or damaged trash cans,

missing lids, improperly disposed of hazardous materials and bulky items,

and trash containers left in alleys.

“We will probably issue hundreds of warnings,” said Dave Niederhaus,

director of the city’s General Services Department, which oversees trash

collection.

As a first warning, a resident in violation receives a red-tag notice.

After a second violation, the city gives written warning that a citation

will come next.

“I’ve been with the city 15 years, and in that time we’ve never had to

write a citation because the first two warnings gained the cooperation of

the residents,” Niederhaus said.

Because so many residences in West Newport are vacation properties and

other rentals, the city usually goes straight to the owner instead of

warning the renter.

Until 1994, trash inspections in West Newport took place each spring

-- in time for both the summer tourists and prime season for flies and

other pests. But cutbacks in the mid-1990s caused the city to eliminate

the trash inspector’s position. The results have been seen swarming

around trash cans in summers past. Late last year, the city hired Jeremy

Hammond as the new inspector in hopes of eliminating the problem.

Over the next eight weeks, Hammond will inspect trash cans and alleys

at every home in the West Newport area, all along the peninsula from the

Santa Ana River to the Wedge.

“We’ll be doing this every year from now on for as long as we can

maintain the position,” Niederhaus said.

* June Casagrande covers Newport Beach. She may be reached at (949)

574-4232 or by e-mail at o7 june.casagrande@latimes.comf7 .

FYI

For information on Newport Beach’s refuse ordinance and proper

disposal of hazardous waste and large items such as furniture, call city

refuse inspector Jeremy Hammond at (949) 644-3064.