Homeowners responsible for picking up garbage on sidewalk

Elmira, New York – Many people will begin their annual spring cleaning, both inside their home and out, as the winter snows melt, uncovering the ground below for the first time in months.

According to local officials, it is residents’ responsibility to pick up garbage in front of their homes.

Many streets across Elmira can be seen with trash items on the curbs, sidewalks, or in the roads as the melting snow leaves the ground bare, revealing items that have been buried or frozen for months. Many garbage items can be blown out from trash cans or during garbage pickup.

“I don’t think that it’s an issue,” said Elmira City Manager Mike Collins. “Certainly when spring arrives, everything going to look a little dingy, but as we’re able to go out and work on our properties and stuff, homeowners will remove, hopefully, their garbage,” Collins said that kind of specific trash cleanup isn’t something the City handles.

The schedule for weekly pickup, as well as guidelines of what can and can’t be recycled and thrown out, can be found on the City’s Sanitation Department website.