Hatboro to Crack Down on Dumpsters, PODS

The Hatboro Borough Council is looking to "tidy things up," quite literally, around town.

The governing body this week introduced an ordinance aimed at setting defined time periods for the use of Dumpsters and PODS, or Portable On Demand Storage units. 

"The people have put those in their front yard and just stored stuff there," Council President John Zygmont told Patch. "It’s going outside of what you would expect to be a reasonable amount of time."

Under the proposed ordinance, which is slated for consideration at the council's January meeting, those wishing to use either a Dumpster or PODS would need to do so by permit. If granted, applicants would be allowed to use it for 30 days, according to Borough Manager Fred Zollers. 

Two 30-day extensions could be granted under the tentative law, according to Zollers, meaning that residents and business owners could put Dumpsters or PODS in place for up to 90 days with borough authorization. 

"That stuff was kind of unclear," Zollers said of time periods allowed for use based on existing regulations. "People have used them as a shed. They have them dropped off and never picked up."

The ordinance, as proposed, would restrict where Dumpsters could be situated, according to Zygmont and would give the police chief the authority to ensure that those in use have reflectors on them and "all safety concerns are addressed."

The original discussion of PODS goes back several years, he said. While overuse of Dumpsters and PODS is not widespread in Hatboro, Zygmont said the council is looking to address the "housekeeping items" as a way to "tidy things up."

Do you or your neighbors have PODS or Dumpsters in place? What do you think of plans to limit their use? Tell us in the comments.