Livingston considers banning trash scavengers

People rummaging through trash every night is a rude awakening to some residents, prompting Livingston city officials to consider a law banning people from digging through trash for recyclables and other materials.

The ordinance, which will have its first public hearing during the Livingston City Council meeting today, prohibits “unauthorized entry into waste containers” and establishes penalties for violators.

People caught scouring through someone else’s trash would be punished by an administrative citation. The first offense is a warning, followed by a $25 fine for the second violation and $50 on the third.

According to the ordinance, garbage is dumped on Livingston sidewalks and roadways after waste containers are left open by scavengers combing through trash. That often attracts animals and insects, according to the ordinance’s language, and exposes homeowners to identity theft by compromising personal information. The theft of recyclables also affects the city’s effort to comply with state recycling laws.

Mayor Pro Tem Gurpal Samra said he’s personally gotten numerous complaints from residents. “Most people don’t care they are taking the recyclables out,” he said, “but they are concerned that they’re leaving a mess or might have access to private personal information.”

Samra said the city’s code enforcement division and police officers would be responsible for enforcing the new law. He acknowledged that might be difficult, given the workload of those city officials, but said Livingston needs something on the books to stop the nuisance.

“It may be a little difficult to enforce, but if there’s no ordinance against it, then you can’t enforce it at all,” Samra said. “People have a right to not have trash all over their yard when they put their containers out.”

Some Livingston residents and others in the county say the problem is an ongoing nuisance. “Homeless go through my trash at 2 a.m. and my dogs start barking,” said Alice Llanes-Avila in response to a question posted on the Merced Sun-Star’s Facebook page. “The barking dogs wake up my husband who has to get up at 4 a.m., and my kids who have to go to school.”

The idea is music to Lisa Patterson Schrole’s ears, who posted her support of the ordinance on Facebook. “It’s a very invasive thing to have someone rummaging through your trash cans going through your personal garbage,” she posted. “Surely there must be alternative measures they could take with all the government assistance we seem to provide.”

Others posted that they want to see similar ordinances in Turlock, Merced, Atwater and Winton.

“I’m sick of it because they make a huge mess in my yard,” posted Merced resident Katie Klingen-Winn. “Can’t anything be done about this?”

On the flip side, Coco Garcia said he doesn’t care if people dig through his trash. “As long as they don’t leave trash on the floor. I don’t care,” he posted.

Latisha Wright defended homeless people that use recyclables as a way to make money. “Some of you people are heartless and just flat out mean,” Wright posted. “For some it is the only means of living. ... These are still human beings that we are talking about and shame on Livingston to do that with no alternative of help.”

Brandon Rhine, who posted that he works at a recycle center, agreed with Wright. “(For) some people that is their only source of surviving,” he said.

Livingston City Council will take public comments about the proposed ordinance during its regular meeting, 7 p.m. Tuesday at the council chamber, 1416 C St. in Livingston.

This story was originally published January 5, 2015 at 7:55 PM with the headline "Livingston considers banning trash scavengers."