"In our yard, the garbage containers are placed under a specially made canopy with a door that closes to prevent others from throwing their trash. One tenant in our building regularly leaves bags of garbage by this door: he just places them there and leaves.
What prevents him from opening the door and throwing the bags into the container is a mystery, but this happens constantly. The house is equipped with video surveillance, so this fact can be recorded. The question is: where to turn to resolve this issue, is there administrative responsibility for this?
Lawyer Anna Kaleri answers:
– Leaving garbage outside the containers (even next to them, if they are located in a specially designated enclosed area where the containers are installed) is not just a manifestation of sloppiness and lack of culture. This is an administratively punishable violation, which can be classified as:
- violation of the Rules for the Improvement of the Territory (Mandatory Local Government Rules),
- improper waste management,
- pollution of public areas.
For example, the Riga City Council Rules Nr. RD-25-19-sn "Par sadzīves atkritumu apsaimniekošanu Rīgā" ("On the Management of Household Waste in Riga") stipulate that waste is allowed to be placed only in designated containers, and the established procedure for their collection and storage must be followed.
For the actions described in the reader's question, the offender may be held administratively liable under the relevant Law (Administratīvās atbildības likums), as well as the Mandatory Local Government Rules (in the case of Riga – the aforementioned Rules Nr. RD-25-19-sn). This may result in penalties such as a warning or a monetary fine (if the violation is not the first time).
In such situations, the algorithm of actions may be as follows:
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Take photos and/or video documentation of the violation – ideally, to be able to identify the offender, as well as to identify the place and time of the violation. In this specific case, this is relatively easy to do, as there is a limited area (enclosed canopy), there is a video surveillance system, there is no dispute about "where garbage can be left," and the violations occur regularly.
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Talk to the violating neighbor in person – kindly, but point out the inadmissibility of such actions.
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If a personal conversation does not yield the desired result – that is, if violations continue, or especially if the offender responds with rudeness, aggression, etc., the next step is to contact the management company that services your building. You need to submit a written application, in which a specific request will be formulated: for example, to issue an official warning to the violating tenant, or to initiate clarification for all tenants (sometimes this is done through announcements in the building), etc.
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If violations by the neighbor continue, the next step is to contact the municipal police (although submitting applications in parallel – to both the building management and the police is not excluded. In both cases, it is advisable to attach photo and/or video materials documenting the violations to the application).
The police can:
- respond to the call based on the fact or video recording,
- identify the offender,
- initiate administrative proceedings,
- make a decision on punishment (warning or monetary fine).
In some cases, it is possible to involve the waste collection operator company to document the violation of the container site usage rules, report this to the management, and sometimes initiate an inspection through the local government.
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