BALTIMORE (WMAR) – We’re talkin’ trash on the outskirts of Little Italy where one woman has made it her mission to clean up trash.
“I’m out here three, sometimes five times a day,” said Teporah Bilezikian.
Her routine is almost ritualistic.
“I consider myself an urban water keeper,” said Bilezikian. “It’s my job to ensure anything that’s reasonably within my domain goes in the trash and get taken away.”
Sometimes the job can be daunting.
“The street is clean one moment and then when I come back out, there’s more,” said Bilezikian. “It keeps me busy.”
In the past she’s dragged out a garbage can for people to use on the sidewalk.
“Sometimes people don’t feel comfortable throwing garbage in cans against a house,” she said. “But if they see it on the sidewalk they’re more likely to use it.”
For a while her garbage can was working, until she was fined.
“The city came in and did a sweep and I got a fine for $50,” she said. “It’s funny because kept calling 311 about the litter and garbage and in the end, I got fined and so did a few neighbors.”
She appealed and the fine was dropped. Code enforcement asked that Bilezikian keep the can against her house.
She told WMAR 2 that won’t do. While she doesn’t want another fine, she doesn’t want to see more litter either. She said there's a simple solution.
"A corner can would solve the issue," she said. "It would be a city issued can."
She hopes DPW and he local council person hears her request.
“It seems the only place you see city corner cans in Baltimore is at some bus stops and nice neighborhoods," she said. "Like, how come you have a lot of money to have a corner can? Do we really need to feed inequity like that?”
WMAR 2 News has reached out to DPW to check on the feasibility of a corner can installation.
We will keep you posted.
