The City of Pittsfield is asking residents to be advised of new protocols that have come into effect in regards to trash and recycling.

City officials sent out a release via social media on Thursday to advise Pittsfield residents about trash and recycling regulations, as well as enforcement. This information was put out by the city to explain new protocols that have gone into effect recently.

"It is first important to recognize that some of these conversations have stemmed from information included in a memo intended to assist the city’s trash vendor in their daily operations," said the release. "The memo was adapted from an internal city document initially developed by the Department of Public Services & Utilities and the Health Department, as part of the city’s ongoing effort to manage its solid waste. While it contains information that is factual and supports existing solid waste policies in the city’s ordinance, it also references the city’s work around new enforcement and notification protocols, efforts that were publicly advocated for in the wake of the discussion around the proposed solid waste management plan."

According to the City of Pittsfield, these protocols went into effect last month and that they were implemented in a "soft enforcement" phase -- which means no residents were ticketed by the Health Department. While the City understands that this has been an abrupt change, residents should be advised to the change in protocol for trash and recycling pick up. For violations, or "flagged" items, the trash vendors will use stickers to explain why items were not picked up.

Below are the updated guidelines to keep in compliance with these new protocols.

• Recycling placed in a bag, and not in the designated recycling container, would receive a sticker. Collection would not occur.
• 96-gallon containers would be stickered and collection would not occur.
• Trash contained in a 32-gallon receptacle weighing over 50 pounds (a limit identified in the interest of safety for sanitation workers), would receive a sticker explaining the violation. Collection would still occur in this case.
• Broken down furniture that can fit in a container will be collected; collection would not occur for pieces larger than what can fit in the container, unless it has a bulky waste sticker.
• Vehicle tires, in addition to other bulky items (that cannot fit into a 32-gallon trash receptacle), require a bulky waste sticker.
• When there is excessive trash (i.e. stemming from the departure from a residence, etc.) that generates six or more loose bags and other items in a single family residences, only trash that is placed in a trash container will be collected. A sticker will be placed on the remaining trash.

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