Residents press council to fix recurring street litter; administrator says education mailed, enforcement and follow-up planned

Several residents told the Pompton Lakes Borough Council that persistent street litter in business corridors and near residential blocks is harming the downtown’s appearance and public safety. A speaker who identified longstanding concerns described diapers and bags left for multiple days and repeated her earlier suggestion that the borough hire a retiree as a part-time litter collector to sweep problem streets and pick up debris.

"When I came here over a year ago, I had mentioned to him that I thought it would be a good idea to hire a retiree, pay him an hourly salary, no benefits...where he could go through town, sweep up," the resident said, describing repeated trash around Pine Street and near Goldberg's Bagel. She said garbage had sat from Saturday to Tuesday in one instance.

Mr. Hinton reinforced the concern, noting garbage out early in the week at multiple downtown properties and raising questions about outreach to property owners and the list of resolutions on the agenda. Council members thanked the speakers and turned to Administrator Michael Kerr for an update.

Kerr said the borough and Department of Public Works recently mailed an educational packet to every business and property owner along Wanaque Avenue and in the Business Improvement District and that police will assist with monitoring. "We're going to educate people. We're going to monitor. We have the police department involved right now...at some point, we're going to start enforcing and following up with people," Kerr said. He added that he had spoken directly with an owner of the Pompton Plaza property and expected improvement after the owner told tenants about regulations.

Council members said they would consider the retiree/part-time hire suggestion and will discuss feasibility with staff; no hiring decision was made at the meeting. The mayor also clarified pickup schedules and seasonal changes for spring cleanup and leaf season as part of the mayor’s report.

Why it matters: Recurring litter and improperly timed or handled trash pickup affect public health, downtown commerce and perceptions of the borough. The administration described a stepped approach—education, monitoring and enforcement—with outreach to property owners as an immediate action and possible staffing or operational changes to be discussed by the council.

Next steps: Administration will monitor the properties named, follow up with enforcement if education fails, and the council asked staff to explore the feasibility of a part-time litter position or alternative options.