In the year and a half since the Slidell City Council passed the dumpster ordinance, the results have been positive and negative.

The ordinance passed in December 2006 was meant to address the large number of open dumpsters on the streets and sidewalks of the city during the rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. The ordinance mandates that all dumpsters must be in an enclosed area complete with a door so garbage trucks can lift the bins. Construction sites must set aside an area away from public view for the containers, and the bins cannot be placed on sidewalks.

Bill Mauser, chairman of the Keep Slidell Beautiful Committee and a proponent of the ordinance, said the results have been mixed. Mauser said most residents are good in bringing in their garbage cans, and the dumpster ordinance was meant for businesses.

This garbage bin on Pontchartrain Drive is in the correct enclosure, but the door to the enclosure has not been closed, and two old mattresses are on the outside instead of within the enclosure. (Staff Photo by Erik Sanzenbach)

“But now about 55 to 65 percent of the businesses are participating,” Mauser said.

For the past year, employees of the Slidell Department of Planning have been going out into the streets and telling businesses about the ordinance. Mauser said the campaign was going great until a few months ago when Planning Director Tim Jackson resigned.

“We have the ordinance, but no one knew about it,” Mauser said.

Still, a lot of enclosures have been built, and many businesses and apartment complexes have hidden their bins behind wooden fences.

“It’s had a definite impact,” Mauser said. But he said there is a lot of work to do to get everyone to comply. Mauser noted that some people have built the enclosures, but they do not close the doors. Some apartment buildings do not even have the enclosures, and some tenants at complexes with the enclosures are still putting their garbage outside the enclosures.

“We’ve gotten the message to the owners, now we have to get the message to the tenants,” Mauser said.

He is hoping that once new Planning Director Randy Clement starts later this week, there will be a concerted effort to get everyone to comply with the ordinance.

There are stiff penalties for not having the enclosures. The first offense is a fine from $100 to $250, plus four hours of community service.

The fine goes up to $350 for a second offense plus eight hours of community service. Any offense over the second time will mean a $500 fine, 24 hours of community service or six months in jail.

But Mauser doesn’t want to have to be so strict. He would rather people accept the ordinance and take pride in the appearance of Slidell. He hopes planning department employees can convince people of the necessity of the enclosures. For Mauser, it is a matter of education, not enforcement.

“We are heightening awareness on this,” Mauser said. “We are starting to change the culture.”