Trash talk in Arkansas draws mixed reaction from both sides

The Associated Press

12/4/2008

PINE BLUFF, Ark. — State officials want to rid Arkansas highways of homemade trash bins that line many roadsides, but owners of the bins say they want rolling bins or some other alternative as a replacement.

The bins are seen as a growing problem and the state Highway Commission recently voted to recommend the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department develop a plan for removing the bins, department spokesman Glenn Bolick said.

"Legally they are an encroachment of our right of way," he said. "Safety and maintenance are our major concerns."

Bolick said some of the bins are large and sturdy and could potentially cause serious damage if a motorist were to veer from the roadway. The bins also make it more difficult for crews to cut the grass along the roadway, he said.

Reaction is mixed in southeast Arkansas, where the bins appear to be in greatest number.

"If I move it, the garbage truck won't be able to get to it," Drew County resident Terry Osburn said of his roadside bin. He said he does not object to parting with the bin, but he wants to be supplied a large rolling trash can, which are common in many Arkansas communities.

Osburn's wife, Darlene Osburn, said keeping the household's trash near the road keeps cats and other animals from approaching their house, something she does not want to change.

Neighboring resident Nancy Richardson said she has never heard anyone complain about the bins being unattractive or unwanted. She said she would prefer a permanent roadside bin.

Other residents say the bins are ugly and should go.

"It doesn't look right to me for everyone to have a different trash bin," Drew County resident Bill Haynes said. "Some of it defaces the community."

Rather than using a roadside bin, Haynes said he rolls a large trash can to the curb once a week.

Department officials are working to figure out the logistics of the removal effort, Bolick said. Workers next year will place stickers on the bins informing owners the bins must be taken from the roadway within 30 days or be subject to removal by the highway department.

"We won't post them until we are prepared to enforce it. We don't want to put a sticker up, then have the bin still there three months later," Bolick said.

Highway department officials met with members of the Municipal League of Arkansas and the County Judges Association early in July to discuss the issue and the groups passed a resolution to support the department in finding a solution to the problem, Bolick said.