The city of Sedona is getting serious when it comes to trash.
Beginning Thursday, Feb. 25, new Sedona City Council-approved amendments to trash containment and removal regulations will go into effect as a response to failures to properly contain trash and store waste containers.
Council voted to approve the new measures Jan. 26.
The city intends to enforce trash violations reactively via complaints submitted through the short-term rental hotline, code enforcement or the Citizens Connect app.
“While these regulations will apply to all home owners, the recent issues with the storage and placement of residential waste containers appear to be tied to the proliferation of short-term rentals,” Assistant City Manager and Community Development Director Karen Osburn said.
“Depending on the timing of guests leaving a location and the container being brought to the road, it is often days before the scheduled pickup. Containers are also left out too long after pick-up until the cleaning service or the property manager comes again.”
Additionally, Osburn said when loaded containers are left out for an extended period of time, javelina and coyote forage and spread garbage throughout the neighborhood.
The new code will include the following regulations:
■ Material must be bagged and securely tied.
■ All material must be fully contained within the waste receptacle with the lids fully closed and secure except when being loaded or emptied. Containers may not be overfilled.
■ Containers may not be placed at the street prior to noon the day preceding the collection and must be retrieved by 11:59 p.m. on collection day.
■ Outside of those set days/times, containers must be stored out of sight of the street.
■ A first violation of the ordinance shall result in a $100 fine, second violation $200, and subsequent violations a minimum of $250 and maximum of $2,500.
■ The property owner[s], occupant or someone with control of the premises could all be considered the responsible party for violations of these regulations.
Osburn said at the Jan. 26 meeting that an issue the city’s code enforcement officers struggle with is identifying a responsible party when it comes to something like trash.
“Unless we see someone and catch them in the act of doing something that violates our code, oftentimes the threshold for evidence isn’t such to where we can really prove in a court of law that that person should be held responsible for whatever the violation may be,” she said. “So we wanted it to be clear that a property owner ultimately is responsible and that we could cite a property owner.”
A first violation will result in a fine of $100, and a correction of the initial violation must occur within 24 hours. A second violation within 180 days of the first violation will result in a fine of $200. Any subsequent violations will be $250 per citation but will not exceed $2,500. Additionally, the person in violation must make restitution to the city for all cleanup and disposal costs incurred by the city.
“We hope this helps address the trash issues we’ve been alerted to and preserves the cleanliness and aesthetics of our neighborhoods,” Osburn said.
