Evening star., 1936-04-02
CIVIC PRIDE URGED
i'm CLEANUP MOVE
HousehoIders, Merchants
Asked to Cooperate With
City Officials.

Public cooperation for a cleaner
city was relied on today to supple
ment promised action by the Commits
sioners, who called for stricter en-
forcement Of refuse regulations and
planned to allocate more money for
street cleaning.
While police were instructed to be
stern with persons caught lttering
streets or alleys with refuse, COM
mon sense Of civic pride was counted
the best possible ally Of current en-
deavors To clean up Washington.
Believing untidy practices to be
the result Of thoughtlessness rather
than Of wilful attempt to violate
the law, officials Of the City Refuse
Division urged householders and mer-
chants to heed regulations governing
discard Of garbage, trash and ashes.
Main Points Of Appeal.
Main points of the appeal we're:
l. Put garbage and trash in the
proper receptacles.
2. Make the receptacles easily avail
able to collectors without their being
placed in alleys, streets or other pub
lie property.
3. Refrain from sweeping grass cut
tings, leaves or other debris into
streets, to be left for white wings"
to clean up, q job they are not sup
posed to do.
4. Refrain from sweeping trash
from stores or building sites across
sidewalks and into streets.
S. Do not throw newspapers, pack
age wrappings or other litter into
streets or elsewhere, except into the
proper receptacles or public trash
containers
8. Be a good neighbor" and don't
dump trash in vacant lots. They are
private property and 1t is not the
responsibility Of the city to clean them
or to get after the owners If the lots
are merely unsightly and do not con-
stitute health menace or fire hazard.
Believe Citizens Know Law.
Oficials believe citizens are ac-
quainted with the regulations, but
often disregard them to save time and
q little extra trouble.
Police regulations specify that mis-
cellaneous refuse, or trash, receptacles
shall be of suitable kind, which
can be easily handled by one man"
Paper or other light refuse liable to
be blown about need not be placed in
receptacles, provided it is bundled,
tied, sacked or otherwise properly
secured" the regulations provide.
Wall paperers, painters, builders and
others connected with construction or
repair operations are said by the Re-
fuse Division to be partially response
bic for the city's dirty streets. Some
leave the remnants Of their work for
the city to clean up, whereas 1t Is their
responsibility to erase their wake.
Other offenders, for whom more
than q reminder may be necessary.
are store owners, who sweep trash
on to sidewalks and over curbs. The
city is not authorized to collect trash
from this type Of establishment. Dis
card Is the duty Of the proprietor. a
duty he occasionally passes of on the
street cleaning department by sweep
ing rubbish through his front door or
into q back alley.
Neglect to Unlock Gates.
A third type of offender is the
householder who neglects to leave un-
locked the gate or door giving garbage,
trash and ash collectors access from
alleys, or who places refuse cans so
far from the most convenient point Of
collection that they are almost mac
cessible to the collector. Rubbish
thus handled accumulates until it
overflows the cans and Is heaped in
the open, unprotected, to become
ammunition for the next vagrant
| wind.