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Who Is Stealing Your Litter Cans?

Over the last eighteen months or so, at least fourteen public litter cans have been taken from Borough parks and streets. Four were taken from Putnam Park last month, and a brand-new set that was just placed next to the new basketball courts in Cotton Street Park was stolen a few weeks ago. An older set was removed from South Plainfield Avenue in front of the Cosmos beauty salon, but nobody is sure when, exactly. There were older incidents at Putnam and the South Side Dog Park.

The motive for these thefts is unknown, but likely the park litter cans are being sold as scrap metal. However, the downtown litter can set was one of the type made of recycled plastic lumber, and the amount of metal in those is quite small.

Cumulatively, the Borough has lost $5,000 worth of litter cans, not counting older disappearances. The Police Department urges residents to be aware of the cans in the areas near their homes and places of business, and to report suspicious activity right away so it can be investigated. Aside from the monetary loss, missing litter cans lead to litter on the ground. Help keep your parks and public places clean and enjoyable: if you see something, take responsibility for reporting it. Call th