Community Corner
Trash Day Comes Too Early In One Westchase Neighborhood
Woodbay residents complain about garbage left outside before pick-up time.
A decade ago, Gene McArthur moved to Westchase from Town 'N Country with the intention to “upgrade” himself.
He purchased a house on a waterfront corner lot in Woodbay and moved in with his wife and dog.
But he soon discovered something that wasn’t so in line with his new upgraded environment: trash.
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In the community, it is a recurrent incident that some residents put their garbage out at the curbside on weekends before its pick-up time Monday morning, according to McArthur, a 70-something Woodbay voting member. The nuisance has been happening since he moved into the neighborhood.
“It lowers the standards and demeans the image of the community,” he said. “I live in a big gated community because I want things to be neat.”
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The Hillsborough County Solid Waste Management Department prohibits putting garbage at the curbside for collection before 6 p.m. the day before pick-up. Westchase follows the same regulation, according to Joaquin Arrillaga, president of the Westchase Community Association (WCA).
Garbage collection days in the community are Monday and Thursday, which means that trash containers and recycle bins should not be placed out front before 6 p.m. Wednesday and Sunday.
Yet, McArthur drove around Woodbay just a quarter past noon last Sunday and counted 18 houses that already had recycle bins and trash containers placed outside, he said.
Patch also drove around the community at 2 p.m. the same day and found trash idling on the curbside of some of the residences.
McArthur has addressed the issue with the Westchase Community Association (WCA) in the past and more recently at the board meeting on Feb. 10.
But he says not enough has been done. The excuse? The WCA inspector is off on weekends.
“We are working on it,” Arrillaga said. “And we look for cooperation from the residents of the community.”
Arrillga said that door hangers and violation letters have been issued and the next step will be violation fines. Yet, residents usually comply with regulations after a warning, he said.