Saugus aims to put lid on can-pickers

SAUGUS – Trash and Recycling Coordinator Lorna Cerbone said the Town of Saugus will be cracking down on can and bottle pickers after her office has been flooded with calls from residents concerned about people rummaging through trash in the middle of the night.Cerbone said she?s been receiving at least two calls a day for almost a year about the issue.?I?m getting calls from residents complaining about can-pickers out at 4 o?clock in the morning, going into people?s private property before they even put the bins curbside,” Cerbone said. “I have residents being woken up at 4 o?clock.”The early morning disturbances aren?t the only issue, as Cerbone said residents are also scared that personal information could be taken from their bins and used to steal their identity.?I have people who aren?t going to recycle because they?re afraid that whoever is taking stuff out of the bins could be looking to assume their identity,” she said, adding she knows of two people who are repeat offenders and has taken down their license plate numbers and given them verbal warnings.If they?re caught again, Cerbone said she?ll start fining them.The fine for a first offense is $25, which Cerbone conceded probably isn?t enough to deter the can-pickers. The fine for a second offense is $50 and $100 for third and subsequent offenses.Director of Public Health Frank Giacalone said the can-pickers stick to a set routine and often times leave behind health violations.?They know the times and they know the trash routes,” Giacalone said. “When they go through the solid waste, they leave it a mess, and often times that person?s trash gets rejected.”They also cause problems with recycling, said Cerbone. While residents have to separate paper and cardboard from bottles and cans, Cerbone said can-pickers will mix the two in their search for cans.?Some people come home after work and the can-pickers mix their bins so much their stuff is left and they?re furious,” Cerbone said. “I get a lot of complaints, at least a couple every day.”While trash is fair game, when it?s left curbside, the town?s trash laws prohibit people from going through recycling bins.According to Section 6 of the town?s solid waste and recycling bylaws, “no person or persons shall disturb, remove or collect any solid waste/recycling material which has been placed upon any sidewalk for collection by the town.”It?s this reason Cerbone said recycling is kept in special bins.?Whether you like it or not someone can come and take all your trash,” Cerbone said. “Recycling is different. That?s why you have the bins in every community that say, ?Town of Saugus? or ?City of Lynn.? It?s legally different from trash.”There?s also an issue of recyclable materials having an actual monetary value, which Cerbone said is a major factor in negotiating the town?s contract with trash haulers.?(JRM) gets paid for those recyclables,” Cerbone said. “The price of the contract that the town has with JRM is less because of the expectation of the value of those recyclables. It?s based on our tonnage and if the tonnage isn?t there we aren?t reaping the benefits.”In an effort to crack down on can-pickers, Cerbone said she has been “hitting the road early” trying to catch people in the act. But while some people may rely on the extra money they get from turning in cans, Cerbone said she?s more concerned about Saugus residents making an effort to recycle every week.?I feel for the people who are out of work,” Cerbone said. “But I feel more for the residents who have put time and effort in doing the right thing and sorting their recycling only to come home and still have something there because someone mixed it up.”Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected]. You can follow him on Twitter @MattTempesta.