San Mateo set to talk trash cans

As president of the Downtown San Mateo Association, B Street Books owner Lew Cohen said the issue of garbage cans left outside businesses on downtown streets has long been a focus for members of the business association in their quest to make downtown inviting for visitors. Because the downtown lacks alleys, businesses must leave their trash cans outside on downtown streets or sidewalks, where they can get in the way of foot traffic, said Cohen.

Cohen looked to the proposed changes to tighten the city’s existing rules so the garbage cans don’t linger and prevent pedestrians from having a clear path on sidewalks.

“It’s been one of the things that we’ve been noticing continually,” he said. “I think it’s a good step in the right direction and it’s going to be a little bit difficult for some business owners to comply, but I think it’s necessary.”

Though bins in downtown San Mateo must be removed within 24 hours of garbage service, because many of them have service seven days a week, it’s not uncommon to see them outside businesses all day, according to a staff report.

Chen said she and Russ Cohen, who joined the city as its downtown coordinator last month, held a public meeting and handed out more than 100 fliers to downtown businesses to spread the word about the proposed ordinance in recent weeks, noting they received no negative responses from business owners.

Russ Cohen said the proposed change was received positively by business owners, many of whom understood they will help beautify downtown. Though he acknowledged the makeup of the city’s streets requires businesses to find space for them inside their businesses when they are not allowed outside, he said the truth is that the trash cans need to be cleared from the streets.

“Every business has an opportunity to take them inside,” he said. “That is what we’re encouraging them to do with this new ordinance.”

In an effort to address concerns garbage cans are being left out on residential streets to save parking spots, the proposed ordinance also includes requirements that trash bins in residential streets are set out on the streets no earlier than 4 p.m. the day before trash is collected and removed by 6 p.m. the day of the collection, according to a staff report.

Though the current ordinance defines garbage cans as a nuisance when they are visible to the public for more than 24 hours in areas outside downtown, it does not state when the 24-hour period begins and ends. Without a specified 24-hour timeframe, city officials found it challenging to educate property owners on when they were not allowed to leave trash bins on the street, said City Code Enforcement Manager Christine Civiletti.

Civiletti said the city almost never issues citations or penalizes residents for leaving garbage cans on the streets and is hoping the proposed changes help clarify what’s allowed and reduce clutter on the streets and sidewalks.

“While we know that parking is important in San Mateo, we just want to be able to explain … the streets should be open to everyone,” she said.

Should the proposed ordinance be approved, residents will be informed of the change in an upcoming Recology bill and no enforcement action is expected to be taken until the information and education on the placement and storage of garbage cans is distributed to residences. Businesses will informed of the changes through distribution of a flier and in newsletters sent through the Downtown San Mateo Association, according to a staff report.

The council meets 7 p.m. Aug. 20 at City Hall, 330 W. 20th Ave.

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