Late-night dumpster

noise targeted by PTC, citizens

[email protected]

An ordinance

is in the works to address citizen complaints of late-night noise created

A concrete

solution might be elusive, however, since sanitation companies want to

empty dumpsters after business and school hours for safety reasons.

The city has

solicited complaints from citizens through the monthly Update newsletter

that is sent to each residence. So far, the 13 verified complaints deal

mostly with operations at commercial buildings and local schools.

For example,

dumpsters emptied in the area near McDonald's and Chick-Fil-A can be heard

and Kedron Fieldhouse are causing some grief for those in the Fielding

Ridge area.

Eastbrook Office

Park, the new Sherwin-Williams store and Braelinn Shopping Center have

also been reported as sites where noise from emptying dumpsters is annoying

residents in the late night hours.

City staff

recently met with representatives of two sanitation companies that provide

service to Peachtree City, said Public Information Specialist Betsy Tyler.

Several other companies were sent invitations but the mail was returned

undeliverable by the post office, she said.

The two representatives

David Langus from EPI and Gerald Matthews of Waste Management of Atlanta

opposed a total ban on emptying dumpsters at night.

Langus said

the school board doesn't want its dumpsters serviced while children are

present, which lasts from 7 a.m. until the late afternoon and evening

due to after-school events. Operating the trucks at night is safer since

there is little traffic on the road to contend with, thereby improving

efficiency of the drivers also, Langus added.

The warning

mechanism that beeps when the trucks back up is also important for safety

concerns, Langus cited.

Langus indicated

that the truck drivers can help reduce noise, particularly in how the

container is returned to the ground after it is emptied into the truck.

Matthews said

Waste Management of Atlanta only makes two or three stops in Peachtree

City and all of them are along Ga. Highway 74 and are serviced before

7 a.m.

Matthews and

Langus recommended a system to handle dumpster noise complaints which

would review each complaint on a case-by-case basis. They also suggested

that dumpster location be considered in the building permit process to

give adequate access to the dumpster while buffering the dumpsters from

residential areas.

It was also

mentioned that pinpointing complaints could be difficult since several

companies often service a specific area.