Salt Lake City residents have long enjoyed the luxury of having a cleanup program in which the city annually picks up and disposes of materials that are not included in regular trash collection, such as household waste and other debris. However, recent problems with the program have caused city leaders to question whether this service is really a luxury for all residents and all areas of the city.

The city has received numerous complaints associated with the annual cleanup program, including illegal dumping in areas, inappropriate materials, and blight throughout neighborhoods.

In response to the concerns raised, the City Council requested that the program be reevaluated. The Salt Lake City public services department has been working on the issue for the past few months. A presentation was made before the Council on October 22, 1998, and during that presentation a few recommended changes were proposed. Two of the recommended changes favored by the Council were to accept no construction debris and to reduce the period of time residents are permitted to place trash out on the curbsides. Rather than 14 days, residents will be permitted 7 days.

Other changes that may be explored are reducing the length of the program, limiting the size of a trash pile, starting clean up in one section of the city and moving to another after the first is complete, and increasing enforcement of illegal dumping.

The City Council has indicated that they would prefer not to make any significant changes until communities have an opportunity to provide input on the current program. Salt Lake City public services plans to conduct a survey in the near future to receive community input on the matter.