First published in the July 23 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
Can we get some clarification on how to responsibly dispose of dog waste in Glendale/Montrose?
Pet owners walk their dogs and I see them drop the poop bags in any garbage receptacle that is handy at the moment, including recycling bins. Not only does this probably cause a huge nuisance for recyclers, but poop bags also easily get stuck to the bottom of empty garbage bins and cause a messy, disgusting chore for the residents whose bin it is. This needs to be broadcast loud and wide, so dog walkers are crystal clear on how to properly dispose of dog waste and are held responsible if they don’t.
Recycling and disposal rules and services are very poorly explained in the Glendale area, in general. Details are important to help citizens. Is paper with staples or paperclips okay? How do we dispose of batteries, spray cans, paints, bleach, oil, bug spray, etc?
Bulky item disposal is a major need in our dense neighborhoods, yet the rules and services are completely vague. It is a grueling research project to figure out how to correctly and responsibly handle garbage — people need easy, or they just won’t bother. We need a very well-thought-out pamphlet or booklet that can be kept on the refrigerator on how to throw out everything in Glendale. And don’t just distribute it — test it on a sample population first to see what the real questions are, and, of course, there should be a web version.
For important issues that require public cooperation and participation, information needs to be pushed to people with easy how-to instructions and where to get the tools to do it (such as food-waste recycling containers).
So, let’s start with dog poop.
Randy Nichols
Montrose
