Problems with trash dumpsters are being addressed

NEW MADRID, Mo. - The city of New Madrid provides citizens with access to dumpsters that are paid for by the city. The dumpsters are housed on a fenced lot on Bloomfield Road next to the water treatment plant and are emptied by the company weekly.

As part of this service there are a few simple rules meant to prevent abuse of the service and keep the area clean.

First, only citizens of the city of New Madrid are allowed to use the dumpsters. Second, trash must be put into the dumpsters. If it is too heavy to get into the dumpster or if the dumpster is already full, it cannot be left on the ground. Finally, and this should be a given, no one is allowed to get inside a dumpster.

We have repeatedly had problems with people throwing trash from the dumpster onto the ground or just dumping their trash on the ground and leaving. This site is to house the dumpsters; it is not a landfill where trash can be thrown on the ground as long as it is inside the fenced area.

Officers have started checking the dumpster lot several times a day for people throwing trash on the ground or getting inside the dumpsters. Violation of these rules will result in criminal prosecution, and citations have already been issued in the last week.

There are no set hours for use of the dumpsters, but that may change in the future if the problem persists.