It seems like there’s been a lot of garbage in the news lately, beginning with the Christmas blizzard that left New York City awash in trash. And while that situation eventually proved strangely advantageous, saving the life of a suicidal jumper, citizens of Palm Bay, Florida probably won’t be looking for any upsides if municipal officials begin repossessing trash bins.
According to the city’s reports, almost 3,000 residents haven’t yet paid their quarterly collection bills, and while each of those bills totals less than $40, when added together all that amounts to a nice little chunk of cash. Palm Bay officials believe that some of this error may be due to confusion with the city’s automated garbage program, which is only about five months old. One representative went so far as to state that she believed people just weren’t used to getting a bill from the city, rather than a private company. And while that makes no sense to me—a bill is a bill, regardless of the address on the envelope—the city’s sticking to its confusion theory for now and will begin warning its citizens of the impending repossessions via its automated calling system.
Image: by Michael Billington, via Wikimedia Commons
Tags: Palm Bay to repossess trash bins, Florida city takes back trash cans, unpaid trash pick-up bills lead to bin repossessions, Palm Bay, Florida, trash can repossession, unusual events
