Toledoans told not to paint trash bins

5/7/2008

Toledo residents in the automated trash pickup program should not paint their home addresses on the provided special bins, city officials said yesterday.

That's because a serial number printed on the bin corresponds to the address to which it was assigned.

Painting the containers is defacing property, officials said.

The city could be forced to pay to replace the painted bins if officials reject a permanent automated program because the trash bins are owned by the two companies that are operating the pilot project.

Besides, it just looks bad, officials said.

"One of the pluses of this program is the look of uniformity these identical containers brings to the city," Bill Franklin, the city's director of public service, said.

"Spray-painted addresses closely [resemble] graffiti and [detract] from that uniform appearance."

The containers were still being delivered yesterday, including some in neighborhoods where trash already was collected.