Lincoln Avenue dealing with trash overflow

Owners to help empty public cans

By Kate Carter

Recent sunny weather has brought shoppers, sippers and munchers to Lincoln Avenue, and their trash is making a mess for businesses to clean up.

City officials met with the affected business owners on June 12, to discuss the street's overflowing public garbage containers.

The concrete containers on the sidewalk are provided by the city, are emptied daily Monday through Friday and are intended to absorb pedestrian trash, the officials said. Businesses, especially those whose clientele throw away a lot of trash, need to help empty them on weekends and when they overflow, officials said.

District 6 City Councilman Ken Yeager's aide Denelle Fedor said some businesses had called her during the past month about overflowing garbage containers along the street.

"The trash problem seems to proliferate during the summer, when Lincoln Avenue is heavily patronized by pedestrian traffic," Fedor said. "Although the problem may seem minor, it really isn't."

Donna Thurmon, environmental services department project coordinator, said the cans are not meant to be used by businesses as their sole or main trash receptacles. The city has approximately 800 public cans throughout its civic areas that are contracted for disposal through Green Team of San Jose, she said. Other areas, such as downtown, on West San Carlos Street and on The Alameda, haven't had the trash problems that Lincoln Avenue has, she said.

The contract, which expires in July 2002, provides for daily pickups during the week, but does not require weekend pickups, Thurmon said. Future contracts could include increased service, she said, but the city can't require it during the current contract.

"This is timely," Thurmon said of the discussion, "because we need to hear from the stakeholders about the improvements that could be made. We can structure the contract to be flexible for specific needs."

Green Team Operations Manager Mosie Hill, after receiving a request from Fedor, had his crew pick up Lincoln Avenue's trash on June 9, a Saturday, he said. The company is contracted to provide service as needed, but the businesses have to do their part, too.

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