Ron Gibson purchased a home in the Devington area over 20 years ago and said he loves his neighborhood so much, he never moved.
“It’s a very diverse area, socially and economically. It’s a community that has nice architectural houses and has the right kind of urban and somewhat suburban mix,” said Gibson.
Now as the president of the Devington Communities Association Inc., Gibson said he and other residents diligently do their civic duty to keep the area attractive for current and potential residents. For example, the neighborhood participated in a spring citywide “neighborhood clean up day.”
Gibson said he and other residents sometimes must confront property owners who fail to keep their space free of trash and other types of blight.
“Those who are negligent with their property, we get aggressive with them,” said Gibson. “We are well known in the city for reporting people who don’t take care of their property.” The area’s boundaries are 56th Street to the north, 34th Street to the south; Shadeland Avenue to the east; and Sherman Drive to the west.
Scott Manning, communications director for the Indianapolis Department of Public Works said the city appreciates neighborhoods taking control of unsightly trash.
He said Indianapolis works year round to control litter and illegal dumping, which can vary from the time of year and year to year. Litter volume can also ebb and flow within neighborhoods around the city.
“Many people recognize and look at the cleanliness of a city as an indicator of the quality of life. It really speaks to the attractiveness of a city when we’re talking about families moving into a city or creating jobs,” Manning said. “The city looks at cleanliness as a priority.”
In the Circle City, standard trash is collected five days a week between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Heavy trash is collected monthly. For neighborhoods that have higher litter volumes, oftentimes Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department will increase enforcement or the Department of Code Enforcement will issue citations and conduct investigations to mitigate issues.
“It’s an ongoing battle and can geographically move about the city,” said Manning.
In addition to keeping trash at bay, Manning said Indy’s largest litter culprit is illegal dumping, which is defined as unwanted trash items, scrap goods and other debris dumped illegally on both private and public property. This is a major problem considering Indy’s existing problems such as its already high rate of abandoned properties.
“When we do large clean ups, illegal dumping is what we find most often,” said Ashlee Fujawa, director of public relations for Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Inc. (KIB), a local organization that supports community improvement projects.
Fly dumping is a serious matter. If you’re caught illegally dumping trash, fines can be up to $2,500.
Whether it’s a private trash hauler or a citizen improperly dumping materials on private property or city-right-of-way, the city works diligently to overcome this challenge.
Now that the weather is warmer, the Department of Code Enforcement reminds citizens the city’s high weeds and grass program will begin once again.
Vegetation over 12 inches in height is considered high weeds and grass.
The city has dispatched inspectors to visit neighborhoods that have had the highest rates of weeds and grass violations. Code enforcement inspectors and mowing vendors will assess various areas around the city encouraging property owners to properly maintain properties and lots, which can also help in minimizing neighborhood blight.
Property owners who receive a notice of violation have five days from the date the notice is mailed to mow overgrown property. If a property owner fails to clean up their act, the city will dispatch a mowing vendor and send the property owner the bill—for at least $353 per lot.
Residents with high vegetation or excessive trash who want to tackle the problem themselves can receive help from the City of Indianapolis. They can call the Mayor’s Action Center for assistance or KIB, who oftentimes provides gloves and trash bags.
The Indianapolis Department of Public Works’ Solid Waste Division also works with neighborhoods directly on neighborhood cleanups.
“The city is here and we can definitely help if folks are taking initiative and cleaning up the neighborhood,” said Manning. “Some of the biggest challenges with cleanup is how to get rid of all the trash that’s collected and we can absolutely help with that.”
KIB also works with mass neighborhood cleanups. They have an initiative called the Great Indy Clean Up that takes place now through October that pools volunteers and resources to beautify a specific area.
They also have a program called “Adopt a Block” where responsible parties can keep a small part of the neighborhood clean and earn incentives, such as flowers, for doing so.
Residents may report a high weeds and grass violations by calling the Mayor’s Action Center at (317) 327 – 4 MAC (4622) or log on to RequestIndy at Indy.gov/requestindy. For examples of the types of trash the City of Indianapolis will pick up, visit Indy.gov/dpw. For information about the city’s high weeds and grass program, visit Indy.gov/weeds. For additional information about code violations, visit the Department of Code Enforcement’s website at Indy.gov/dce. For more information on Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, call (317) 264-7555 or visit Kibi.org.
