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GREENSBORO – After public backlash over a Facebook post concerning a town-wide trashcan policy, Greensboro Town Manager Cindy Yost said the town is putting the policy “on pause” while officials decide how to proceed.
On Thursday, October 9, the Town of Greensboro posted to their Facebook page a reminder that “All trash receptacles must be removed from the street within 24 hours after collection. Failure to comply will result in the following: 1st offense – Warning, must have receptacles removed within 24 hours of notice. 2nd offense – $100 fine per day until receptacles are removed.”
After multiple commenters expressed disappointment and confusion about the policy, the Town updated the post with the following message: “The Town of Greensboro has heard the concerns of our residents regarding the trash receptacle policy. In response, we will pause all related violations until this matter can be addressed at the upcoming Town Hall Meeting on October 16, 2025. We appreciate your feedback and thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention.”
During the October 16 Town meeting, two residents spoke out during public comment about the fiasco. One, Tom Chandler, said he has lived in Greensboro for nearly 30 years and “never once seen anything spelled out that there’s a 24-hour expectation that cans be removed.” He also said that he didn’t agree with how the town went about enforcing the policy, and said that rather than any prior warning, “the very first step was a punitive action.” As far as the $100 per day fine for not adhering to the policy, Chandler remarked, “That is the most tone-deaf thing I have ever heard.” Another citizen called the fine “very excessive” and questioned the rationale behind the policy, as she said it “does not seem like a wise use of the town’s time and resources.” Both who spoke shared that they could not find the policy on the town’s website or the town code.
Yost addressed the Facebook post and the trashcan policy later in the meeting. “The trash debacle is my fault,” she said. She explained that the Town Council had recently voted on Ordinance 2025-O-6, which includes policies for waste removal. The Ordinance spells out the policy of putting out trash cans the night before trash collection day, but does not address the timeframe for bringing the trash cans off the curb after collection. Yost said she assumed that the Ordinance included the 24-hour policy for removing receptacles from the curbside.
“We pulled it back because we were getting calls,” she said, “I responded back ‘thank you for your comments’ and that we were pausing everything. So right now everything is on pause.” She apologized for the confusion, saying, “That is definitely my fault and I should’ve never put that out there.” Yost said, in general, the fee numbers were not included in the Ordinance because town officials were unsure if they were ever going to change.
