Taking care of garbage

The proper disposal of garbage is usually not a topic of discussion amongst most societies, but in that the proper disposal of garbage is instrumental to the health and well being of the people who reside in a neighborhood it should be an issue of great concern.  The proper control of garbage vs. the explosion of the rat population in an urban environment is of paramount importance to any community in this country as without structure and rules, the rat population will rule and cause havoc to the residents of any community.

Members of our community have been working closely with the City of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University and businesses, as well as residents to ensure that garbage set out for collections is accomplished in a professional manner to allow the City and private contractors to pick it up on a regular basis so that not to encourage a further expansion of the rat population and also to create a cleaner city.  If all parties comply with common sense approaches to garbage disposal, our community and hence therefore the City as a whole can be a cleaner place.

There are rules to be followed that are not onerous:

1.  Put your garbage out as indicated in secure garbage cans with lids at the time designated in your community.  If you are a business, lock your dumpster each time you put some product into it.

2.  Don't put out bags of garbage on top of your garbage cans or dumpsters as rats are very creative
and will figure a way to get to it.

3.  When recycling time comes to your community, make sure that the product is tied appropriately to ensure that it doesn't fly around the community.  If the items are put into boxes, then tie them down to ensure that the product doesn't move and create additional filth for the neighborhood.

There are many more rules which can be obtained from the City of Baltimore that will help you make this city a cleaner and healthier place to live, work and play in, but simply just following these three simple steps will also help in creating a better place to live.

Due to the efforts of Mr. John Houston, a resident of Charles Village, our City Council Representative, City Services, JHU and businesses within this community we have made significant strides in creating a cleaner community, that will help eliminate some of the rat population and create a cleaner environment.  This does not mean that we can stop with our limited success at the present time, but continue to move forward following very simple rules to ensure that the community is cleaner.  Thank you John for keeping all of us informed with short descriptions of the issues, along photographic evidence of what you encountered on your walks through the community.