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Dewey businesses, officials combat trash problem

Companies donate cleaning equipment; town to issue fines for violations
July 2, 2021

After fielding a large number of complaints about trash this summer, Dewey Beach officials and businesses have teamed up to combat the unusual amount of refuse left in public places, including issuing fines to violators.

Trash cans placed by the town on streets and sidewalks are for the use of the general public while in those areas, Town Manager Bill Zolper said. Town ordinance states that public trash cans are not to be used by businesses, homeowners or home renters to dispose of commercial or household trash. 

Public trash cans are emptied Monday and Friday mornings, Zolper said, but he noticed later in the day on Monday, June 28, that several trash cans were already overflowing with new refuse.

“So we did a trash pull,” Zolper said.

The trash cans are public, Zolper said, so town officials dug through the bags to uncover evidence pinpointing where it came from. Police officers visited the indicated home June 30 to issue a warning to residents, who admitted placing their household waste in the public trash can. Subsequent offenses will result in fines, Zolper said.

Violations of the ordinance are a civil offense, and town commissioners voted in May to triple fines for offenders. Fines are $75 for the first offense, $150 for the second offense and $300 for any additional violations. 

The town will continue to monitor public trash cans through trash pulls if necessary, Zolper said, and town cameras rotate and will document who is using public trash cans for household refuse. For their own home or rental units, homeowners can pay for trash pickup or take their trash to the dump, Zolper said.

Six more trash cans have been placed on the town’s busiest streets, from Bellevue south to Dickinson on Coastal Highway, Zolper said, and the town will also place 12 extra cans at the end of bayside streets on Fourth of July weekend. 

When discussing the issue with local business owners, Zolper said, several mentioned purchasing an industrial Billy Goat Quietvac unit to vacuum up trash on town streets and sidewalks. 

“Hyatt, Starboard and Woody’s stepped up to provide funding,” Zolper said.

The equipment cost about $2,400, Zolper said, and Hyatt Place Dewey Beach/Lighthouse Cove General Manager Drew DiFonzo, The Starboard owner Steve “Monty” Montgomery and Woody’s Dewey Beach owner Jimmy O’Conor each chipped in $800 to cover the cost, Zolper said.

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