Let me preface this by saying that the city of Cleveland is dieing. Not slowly, either. The population of the CITY of Cleveland is dwindling like you wouldn't believe. They laid off a bunch of police/firemen and other essential city workers. Their genius of a mayor...Jane Campbell...(Who lost $12million dollars somehow) came up with the idea of adopting trash cans. Not only do you have to pay for them, you have to empty them also. AND if you are a business...you can't even put your company logo on them.
She made the statement that all these cans need is someone "to love and care for them". My god...what is happening up there?
Trash cans offered for adoption
01/13/04
Angela Townsend
Plain Dealer Reporter
Mayor Jane Campbell wants you to help take out the trash.
Campbell on Monday unveiled her Adopt-A- Can program, hoping to recruit a citywide group of volunteers - whether it's businesses, churches, community groups or individuals - to maintain Cleveland's 1,300 public trash cans.
The city's announcement that it was removing the trash receptacles as part of its budget cuts touched off an outcry in November. So Campbell and her staff began looking for ideas to keep the concrete bins from becoming extinct.
The result is Adopt-A-Can.
"We have a sense from the initial calls that there may be cans that several people want to adopt," Campbell said.
Companies or individuals who "adopt" a trash can will have to sign a one-year contract, agreeing to remove full garbage bags and leave them with their other trash, insert new trash bags and wipe off the lid.
"Adoptees" cannot make any changes to the receptacles, such as painting them or adding advertisement. The contract also says they should contact the city if a trash receptacle has been damaged or has items in it that pose a health or safety risk.
If an "adoptee" violates the terms of the contract, the city has the right to terminate the contract and remove the receptacle.
The program already has its first volunteer. Cleveland-based Metro Disposal, a garbage collection company, has agreed to take care of 50 receptacles.
"We thought it was important that we stepped up and did our part," said owner Mike O'Donnell, who oversees a 50-truck operation.
As part of Campbell's recent budget cuts, 22 of the service department's 26 nonresidential trash collectors were laid off. Service Director Mark Ricchuito said it would have cost the city $1.2 million to keep maintaining the public trash receptacles.
Adopt a trash can??? What the ?????
