Athens Mayor Steve Patterson and Service-Safety Director Andy Stone said they have both seen an increase in litter during weekends with large events in Athens, such as Homecoming and Halloween.

“In terms of overtime for people that have come in and help with the street sweeping, it might cost the city $2,000-3,000 more to manage, and I don't think that there is really much of an increased cost burden when it comes to litter control in the uptown area,” Patterson said.

In Athens, there are two solid waste officers, who are funded through people's garbage fees and are responsible for enforcing the city's waste control, Stone said.

“If there's a mess, the solid waste officer will go and knock on the door, see the owner – if it's a business – and say, ‘You need to come out here and clean that up,’” Stone said.

After large weekend events, Stone said the city tries to pay extra attention to the central business district – mainly Court Street and the general uptown area – to make sure that part of town stays clean.

“We have two sweepers. We have a street sweeper that we've had for a long time that does the whole city and we try to keep gutters and streets clean with that for more than just litter. Just general road debris and such to keep it out of the storm drains,” Stone said.

The city recently bought a new electric sidewalk sweeper to help those who clean streets pick up trash along the street and sidewalks after large weekend festivities, such as the Homecoming parade.

“It's pretty cool, and our street crews operate that as well. Not only are they doing the street sweeping for the street, they are also doing sidewalk sweeping,” Patterson said. “It's also important to note that the sidewalk cleanliness is the responsibility of the property owners and the businesses to manage the appearance of their sidewalks.”

Business owners are responsible for maintaining a clean space in front of their business. The owners used to be responsible for cleaning 18 inches in front of their storefront, but it was recently changed to only eight inches before a street curb.

The change was mainly for business owners in the uptown area, specifically those with a traffic lane within 18 inches of the storefront; however, maintaining a clean walkway 18 inches in front of a business may be difficult to upkeep, Stone said.

City Council President Christine Knisely said she believes the change has been beneficial to both the city and property owners.

“Property owners (& renters if they are responsible for the yard upkeep) are now responsible for up to 8 (inches) from the curb,” Knisely wrote in an email. “One specific example where this is beneficial is when bar property owners have their maintenance staff clean the sidewalk.”

OU is also considered a business owner to the city, Stone said. They are responsible for the property they own whether it is on or off-campus.

“The university is a property owner adjacent to city streets, so just like any other property owner has a responsibility of the public property in front of their property,” Stone said. “The university does a very good job in taking care of the streets that run through the university – if they're city streets or university streets.”

Patterson said there does seem to be an increase in litter in the Athens uptown business district, but the city has been able to manage and keep the city clean.

“We see an increase in littering and things finding their way on the street or the sidewalks rather than in our trash receptacles uptown,” Patterson said. “I think we do a pretty good job of managing it.”