Members of Squirrel Hill’s Jewish community aren’t happy about a change to their city trash collection schedule. Weekly trash collection recently changed to Fridays in Squirrel Hill, meaning trash pick-up would be pushed to Shabbos on seven city worker holidays throughout the year. That would conflict with Shabbos, during which work of any kind – including taking out the trash – is Assur.
Trash collectors work five days a week. When they are off because of a holiday on one day of the week, collections are bumped back by one day.
Pittsburgh Councilmen Bill Peduto and Doug Shields have asked Public Works Director Guy Costa to change the weekly collection schedule to accommodate Jewish residents.
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9 Responses
I don’t really understand the issue. Parts of Boro Park also have the trash collection on Shabbos. The trash is moved to the street on Friday. Is there something else not clarified here?
In Brooklyn, they have the same problem – every week. Trash is picked up on Shabbos. They put out the cans before Shabbos and bring them back in after.
Whats the big deal? This is Golus. Get used to it.
In flatbush where I live as well as many other very religious Jews, garbage pickup on many different blocks including my own is on Shabbat. So big deal, put out the garbage friday night before shabbat starts…I really dont see a problem with garbage being picked up by non jews on shabbat
This is ridiculous! As far as I know there is no issur for non-Jews to pick up trash on Shabbos. There is also no reason that Jews cannot take their trash out on Friday — before Shabbos. For years I lived in a city that had trash pickup on Friday (and sometimes was delayed until Shabbos). In many ways it was a tremendous ma’aleh as we were able to get rid of all of the pre-Shabbos garbage.
What do you do if your trash pickup occurs on Yom Tov during the week? Don’t you have the same issues? While carrying is permitted, in most cases garbage (especially garbage that accumulate before Yom Yov) is muktzeh and thus you still can’t take it out on Yom Tov.
Big deal! So on those seven weeks, they’ll put out the garbage on Friday. Why must people make a ruckus about every stupid thing?
I live there and my garbage is still picked up on Tuesday. I haven’t seen trucks on Shabbos although I don’t see any issue if there was.
Actually, there are a few halachic ramifications (we have the same problem here in Detroit.)
1) This is a type of Amira l’Akum (telling a goy to do work for you) – since it’s your garbage cans, and you’ve put them out for him to do it. (And it’s unlikely you were mafkir them, even though you put them out beyond the street curb.)
2) He’s carring from reshus to reshus. Since the garbage can is probably big enough to be called a Reshus Hayochid, and he’s moving it over a Reshus Horabim (the street) into his truck – another Reshus Hayochid.
3) It’s questionable whether or not he’s doing it “a’d’aata d’nafsheh” (on his own will), thereby doing for himself (which is OK) – really it’s his boss’s daas. Or is he doing it for you the Yid, since the garbage is near your house.
FF: Please, give me a break. There is no issur, and you know it.
It’s a problem when shabbos starts early. Garbage may not be put out before 7pm or you can be fined.