As a concerned citizen of Slippery Rock, I am worried about the piles of trash around town. This is a direct result of the bulk pickup being moved to before the students move out, without notice to landlords, by the Slippery Rock Borough Council.

Not only did the change of date have an impact of lingering trash piles, but it also resulted in people dumping in roll-off containers that were not theirs to use. I saw this repeatedly at the container behind my house in the past few weeks. People would throw trash in, around and in front of the dumpster, causing problems for the tenants who have a right to throw things away there, the landlord in extra dumping costs and my husband and me in our property being flooded with trash flying around. Rat sightings around town have also been brought to my attention.

I do not claim to know anything about the reasons for this decision. I do believe this change is a detriment to our town, especially in light of many residents’ efforts to put us in the national spotlight with “Slippery Rock in Bloom”.

I do hope that not only the trash gets picked up, but that a little more consideration is given to landlords and residents in the future.