Trash cans left on curb too long frustrates Lancaster city resident [Lancaster Watchdog]

Terry Scheneck is tired of seeing trash cans, but he said they’re everywhere in downtown Lancaster, often left on the curb days before regularly scheduled trash pickup.

The Lancaster city resident, who has lived on East Vine Street for 44 years, said he’s only become aware of what he calls a problem recently and has associated it with an increase in restaurants in the area.

According to its website, Lancaster city requires that trash and recycling containers be set out no earlier than 6 p.m. the evening before collection and removed by 8 p.m. the day of collection.

When neighboring residents and businesses don’t follow that direction, trash from overflowing containers can be swept away onto busy city streets like Duke Street on particularly windy days, Scheneck said.

“We’re a destination city and I hate to see (trash) strewn across the street,” he said.

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He’s not sure that all the residents know the city’s rules on when trash and recycling containers are to be left out, either, as there was no indication on the 2024 brochure he received from the city’s trash hauler, Penn Waste. Multifamily and nonresidential property owners or occupants must hire a permitted collector for waste and recycling or request approval to use the city’s contractor, according to city spokesperson Amber Strazzo Righter.

The 2025 brochure did include information on how early one can put out a trash can but included nothing on how long trash cans could be left out after trash is picked up, Scheneck said.

Report concerns

While Scheneck said he has yet to report his concern to the city, he and others can do so through the Fix It! Lancaster portal at fixit.cityoflancasterpa.gov or by contacting the Solid Waste Hotline at swhotline@dcityoflancasterpa.gov or 717-291-4744.

Stefany Snyder, customer care coordinator for the city Department of Solid Waste & Recycling, will likely be the one to answer the call. She also pulls complaints submitted through the Fix It! Lancaster portal. Once she receives a complaint, she directs the Solid Waste Education & Enforcement Program officers to investigate.

The two officers usually respond within a day – if not the same day – a complaint is made. If a reported trash can is still present on the curb outside of the time period permitted by the city, they’ll cite the property owner with a $25 fine. If the trash can is still on the curb 15 days later when the officers return to check for compliance, they’ll issue another $25 fine.

Though the number of complaints Snyder receives in a week varies by neighborhood, season and weather, she said normally no more than a dozen complaints regarding trash and recycling containers are submitted via the portal or hotline per week.

And, while Scheneck said he frequently sees containers left outside businesses, Snyder said most complaints pertain to residential properties, particularly multi-unit apartment buildings. Only one citation is made per address despite the number of units in the building, she said.

More information about Lancaster city’s trash and recycling service is available at www.cityoflancasterpa.gov/services/trash-recycling/.

Notice any problems?

Email the Lancaster Watchdog at watchdog@lnpnews.com or go to lancasteronline.com/watchdog and tell us about it. You can also send mail to Lancaster Watchdog at P.O. Box 1328, Lancaster, PA 17608-1328.

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