Seaside Heights: New Rule for Garbage Cans in Updated Ordinance

The Seaside Heights water tower behind the boat ramp and water park at Sunset Beach. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

Seaside Heights officials last week introduced an ordinance with a minor change to the borough’s trash collection ordinance, which regulates how public works pickups must be handled in town.

The borough has long had guidelines set by ordinance for how residents and visitors must place their refuse out for collection. Most prominent, due to the windy conditions on the island plus the propensity for gulls to rip open bags, is a prohibition on leaving bags of any kind on the street. Garbage must be placed in cans no larger than 35 gallons, which must be put out on the street between 6 p.m. the evening before pickup and retrieved by 6 p.m. the day of collection.

The ordinance retains these regulations and adds two more: garbage cans must be stored out of public view if they are kept outside on a permanent basis, and only rolled out on collection day. The cans residents use must also be “kept in good repair and in clean and sanitary conditions” for the safety of Public Works employees.

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While the new ordinance only adds the tweaks listed above, council members as well as some residents on hand briefly discussed a nagging problem nearly all Shore communities face: how are garbage collections handled for part-time residents who are not present for collections?

“Sunday, when people put it out, they leave in the afternoon and we’ve never had any resolution about who’s going to pick up their garbage,” said resident Richard Sasso. “People leave 2 or 3 p.m. in the afternoon.”

Borough Administrator Christopher Vaz said the hourly rule is not strictly enforced in these situations.

“I don’t think we’re running around writing tickets on 3 o’clock on a Sunday,” he said.

The long-term issue is still yet to be resolved, but the new regulations are aimed at preventing litter from spreading, cans from being lost to storms and improving the general aesthetics of the community.

The ordinance is subject to a public hearing and second vote before adoption, which is expected to occur at the next borough council meeting.