Rizzo proposes change to city trash ordinance

  Councillor-at-Large Dan Rizzo wants to give Revere residents an extra hour to take their trash out the day before collection day.

  Initially, Rizzo proposed a motion amending the current curbside collection ordinance allowing residents to put out trash and recycling barrels as early as 4 p.m. the day before collection days from November 1 through March 31, and keeping the current 5 p.m. time for the remainder of the year. “This was basically to allow people to put their trash out an hour earlier as it gets darker earlier,” said Rizzo.

  The extra hour would particularly benefit senior citizens or people with disabilities that could use the extra time to get their barrels out, especially during the time of year when the weather gets worse. Under the proposed amendment, residents would still have to get their barrels outside by 7 a.m. the day of trash collection.

  “When I presented this motion a few weeks back, Councillor [Ira] Novoselsky said why not see if you can just move it all the time instead of just certain months,” said Rizzo.

  Moving the time back to 4 p.m. for the entire year would eliminate any confusion from residents about when they can put out their trash, and cut down on inadvertently getting fined because they put their barrels out too early. “I think that would essentially solve the same problem and make it less complicated for people in general,” said Rizzo. “One hour, I don’t think, is going to make a huge difference. A lot of people get home at that time, and it eliminates the potential for fines and all that stuff.”

  City Council President Gerry Visconti said the City Council will take up further discussion of the issue at its Public Works Subcommittee meeting on Monday, March 14.