Michigan woman faces trial for using car wash's trash bin

[Kidwash]

I am sure some wash owners will appreicate the article in the Detroit News published April 18, 2008... click on link or read partial (due to forum character restrictions) article below.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080418/METRO/804180308/1361

GRAND RAPIDS -- Bertha Williams admits to putting some trash from her business into a garbage can at a neighborhood car wash.

The 51-year-old Muskegon-area woman refused to plead guilty to a misdemeanor littering charge Thursday even though the case and her plea would have been expunged if she went the next three months without leaving any trash at Grand Bays Car Wash.

"How is it that we can have a car wash where someone actually goes in and washes their car and you provide a receptacle for them to put trash in, but then you prosecute them for it?" she asked when contacted by telephone at her home in Muskegon County's Muskegon Township. "Is there a limit to the trash you can put in there?"

Williams said she didn't intend to leave any trash at all at the business, which is less than two blocks from her home, when she went there last August to spruce up her car.

When she went to vacuum it out, however, she said she discovered two plastic, partially full bags of trash among several bags of wet towels that she was taking home from her day spa to launder.

Jeff Ream, the township's building official, said the township had cited car wash owner William Nelson about two years ago because excessive amounts of trash were observed at the business. Nelson complained that it wasn't his garbage and other people were dumping bags of their personal trash at the self-car wash.

Ream told Nelson to contact him whenever excessive trash dumping was happening at his business, so Ream could go through the garbage and try to determine to whom it belonged. Sometimes Ream went to the car wash and went through the trash there; other times, Nelson brought bags of trash to him.

 

[MEP001]

That seems a little ridiculous. It would be one thing if the plaintiff had proof that she just dumped trash and didn't use the facilities, but prosecuting a customer (unless it was a lot more than two small bags) is not going to go over well. I'm sure she'll win if he can't prove she didn't use the facilities.

 

[Reds]

Nothing irks me more than some one dumping trash anywhere. I have a sign over my trash recepticles stating that the trash recepticle is for carwash customers only, and I have my dumpster lids locked down. Someone dumped 2 big bags of trash on the ground in front of my dumpster. I watched it on my cameras buy could not get a license #. But I did find lots of paperwork in the bags that had her name on it. I watched the tapes for one hour prior and one hour after the dumping to determine if she had used the wash at all. She did not. The cops watched the tapes and it cost her $200 at the magistrate for "Scattering Rubbish". If she had used my facilities I would have called her up (phone # on some of the papers) and gave her the option of coming and removing her trash. I do not want or need customers who deposit their household trash on my site. Especially on the ground. It drives me wild.

 

[MEP001]

I had to empty a trash can today that probably weighed 800 pounds. It was full of rocks and damp earth, 10 garbage bags that each weighed 70-80 pounds, plus another 100 lbs or so that was just loose. Whoever did it is really lucky they used the one can that wasn't yet watched by a camera, and I fixed that today.

There was trash in one with a name and address, but the bags weren't tied up where another customer couldn't have put the pieces of mail in it, otherwise I'd already have gotten the police involved. I do plan on driving by to see if there's an obvious hole in the lawn, and take note of vehicles so I'll know what to look for if it happens again.

 

[Twodose]

I recently pulled into my wash and found 2 bags household garbage stuffed into one of the 4 cans I have for trash, went through the trash and found name and address on 2 envelopes, plugged the address into my gps, went to the house and a young girl maybe in her 20's was walking into the house, it was a double block, first I waved to her and she smiled, then I waved for her to come over and she did, I got out of my truck, asked her to come over, she followed, I said I have something for you, pulled the two bags out of the back of my truck and told her that I brought her trash back that she left at my car wash, I asked her not to leave her household trash at my wash, I also told her that I notified the local police as to what I would be doing, she grabbed the two bags and walked away with her head down. This place has an 8 yard dumpster which is emptied weekly and is always packed full.

I had another occasion last summer when I went to my other wash which is out in the country more, the dumpster was packed full with large boxes, the dumpster was emptied the day before and I would not have been able to put anything in if for two weeks, pickup is every other week. I called the state police, the cop helped me go through the items, finding an address, I asked the cop what he could do, he asked me what I would like to do, I told him I would like $50 plus an apology, I got both, the kid came down to the wash that night, nice car, decent looking kid, girlfriend in the car, he gets out hands me $50 in cash, apologizes, He told me he was moving to another state and was cleaning out his house and had to get rid of the junk, I asked him why he thought he had the right to fill my dumpster with his garbage, again he was apologetic, but didn?t have an answer, I said to him, ? Your young, just remember., ?what goes around comes around?., and I walked away.

 

[Twodose]

I've been in this business 25 years and have allot of frustrating stories like this,Trash is becoming a major part and problem in the industry. As money gets tight people look for ways to save, its expensive to get rid of trash, one way to save is to make someone else pay for it. I have an employee that works for a trash hauler one day a week, he said they charge $3 for every extra bag and they have to pay at the time of pick up or they will not take them., so it may be more convenient and cheaper to leave them at the car wash.