Billings officials have tightened enforcement of the city’s garbage‑can policy, requiring that every trash container be fully closed before collection. The change, which began in late September, was intended to keep streets cleaner and reduce the number of cans left on curbs.
Enforcement and early results
Public Works officials say the new rule has quickly produced measurable results. When the policy was first applied, fewer than two percent of cans were skipped. After a few weeks of stricter checks, that figure fell to under one percent, according to the department’s latest data.
Resident concerns
Some Billings residents argue the rule is overly strict. Long‑time homeowner Rich Williams described a recent incident in his alley where a full can was left on the curb with a sticker indicating it had been missed. “We have Monday pickup. So yesterday I came out and it had the sticker on there,” Williams said. “It’s not like, you know, I stacked a recliner on top of my trash can. So I just thought it was unreasonable.”
Williams added that the policy feels like a “hand‑slap” to residents who simply want their trash collected. He paid a small fee—about four dollars—to have Solid Waste Management retrieve the missed garbage the next day, and says he will pay closer attention to the lid requirement moving forward.
City officials defend the approach
Ward 5 Councilman Mike Boyett framed the enforcement as a matter of consistency and training. “It’s training. It’s getting everybody back into a program of doing the same thing all the time,” he explained. Boyett emphasized that the rule applies uniformly across the city and helps maintain a tidy public space.
Other residents, such as Lockwood homeowner Kim Holguin, support the stricter standards. Holguin noted that her private trash service has long required closed lids, and she believes “rules are meant to be followed. You know, you can’t follow them. Well, then the consequence of that is your garbage doesn’t get picked up.”
Looking ahead
Public Works officials say they will continue to monitor collection data to determine whether any adjustments are needed. The department stresses that the low rate of missed pickups reflects a broader trend of improving compliance, not isolated incidents.
For Billings residents, the message is clear: keep the lid down, and the city will keep the streets clean. The policy’s early success suggests that a modest change in habit can have a noticeable impact on community cleanliness.
Original reporting: KTVQ Q2 Billings (local) — read the source article.
