32nd Annual Dumpster Day Cleans Up York

With the smell of yard clippings, gasoline and rusty metal hanging in the morning air, York neighborhood residents converge on an empty dumpster. In the parking lot of Nelson’s Market on Potter Street sits the 22-foot long, 8-foot wide container. Some Yorkers arrive carrying broken desks and futons, others hold rotted wood, one rolls up a decrepit lawnmower. The dumpster cannot stay empty for long.

            On June 4, the York Neighborhood Association hosted the 32^nd annual Dumpster Day at Nelson’s Market. Starting at 8:30 a.m., residents could bring all kinds of trash, scrap, debris and litter. The event serviced about three or four dozen households, said Carolyn Mulder, a York resident for 23 years who has organized the event for six years. She said the dumpster usually reaches capacity in about two hours. “People bring everything – old furniture, carpeting, defunked bikes, garden furniture, some construction debris,” she said. “People will show up with the yuckiest things.”

Volunteers crammed several futons into the dumpster alongside tables, chairs, scrap metal, barbeques and a crushed robot Halloween costume. Trucks, hatchbacks and wheelbarrows carried in everything from concrete blocks to a kitchen sink. No electronic devices, machinery or large appliances were permitted. This year the dumpster filled in only an hour and a half.

Lisa Ezrre, a York resident for 28 years, brought a truck bed full of garbage bags and a broken futon. She said Dumpster Day definitely helps clean the neighborhood up. “I let everyone in the neighborhood throw stuff in my truck,” she said. Ezrre said she likes that Nelson’s Market is much closer to her house than the city dump.

            Dumpster Day is a great alternative to a dump because it is free and convenient, Mulder said. Volunteers also go pick up trash if residents are incapable of coming themselves, she said. Residents make note of places with garbage, such as alleys, and bring it along with their own. “People scouting usually come back with good stuff,” Mulder said. She also said if an item is brought that is useful, people make trades or just give it to others who have a use for it.

Scott Sanders took advantage of this and obtained an old smoker barbeque. The smoker fit neatly into his truck after emptying it of three lawnmowers, a vacuum cleaner, table and ironing board. Sanders said he also threw out debris stacked next to his house and litter scattered throughout his alley.

Sanders moved to the York neighborhood three months ago and said he thinks Dumpster Day is a great thing. “It encourages people to be clean,” he said. “I like this neighborhood.” Sanders said he plans to barbeque a lot this summer.

Anne Mackie, a York Neighborhood Association board member, said Dumpster Day gets successively better each year. She has been involved with the event since it began 32 years ago. “There was a whole neighborhood movement about 30 years ago to establish pride of neighborhood and historic past,” Mackie said. “The first year, the Air National Guard was here going up and down the streets.”

Mackie said that while Dumpster Day cleans up portions of the neighborhood, trash and litter are a serious issue in the York district, mainly due to the student residents. “There is a habit of being a student renter and throwing crap in the yard,” she said. “There is no respect.”

            Ezrre said trash is a problem and that she finds it in her front yard. She said there is not enough garbage pick up in the York neighborhood. “Sometimes I feel like I’m the only person who throws their stuff away,” she said.

            Sanders said that students predominantly contribute to the amount of litter. “It’s an older neighborhood with lots of college kids,” he said. “They just leave trash because they live here temporarily.”

            Alyson Fritz, a Western senior, disagrees with the messy student stereotype. The three-year York resident said not all students are so careless. “We’re responsible and recycle and compost at my house,” she said.

Fritz said she is really glad the neighborhood association provides this cleanup opportunity. “This is very beneficial,” she said. “It’s an incentive to throw away junk.” Fritz brought a dresser, desk and futon. “Three of my roommates moved out and left all their stuff,” she said. “We would have to go to the dump otherwise.” 

Mulder said trash and litter can be a serious problem in the York district, but that she thinks people make an effort to keep it under control. “I am amazed at how much garbage you can see,” she said. “By doing [Dumpster Day], the neighborhood is cleaner. It is an aesthetic improvement, a better quality of life for York residents.”