Garbage scandal on Poniatowski Street. "The City Hall's demands are absurd."

Residents of Poniatowskiego Street in Szczecin received a letter from City Hall ordering the removal of garbage cans in front of their properties, claiming they are impeding pedestrian traffic and detracting from the aesthetics. The cans have been in the same location for decades. Officials have not proposed a new location for the bins – and there is simply no space available. "It's either incompetence on the part of the officials or malice," residents say.

Residents were given two weeks to submit a new declaration and designate a new waste disposal site. On Thursday and Friday (July 24 and 25), residents held meetings with councilors and journalists in front of a property on Poniatowskiego Street. Dozens of people attended.

"The City Hall's requirements are inappropriate for the development conditions. These buildings have been here for a hundred years. My mother-in-law has lived at Poniatowskiego 70 for years. The bins have been here forever," says one resident.

Residents also point out that neither the land where the bins are located nor the bins themselves belong to them. Despite this, they clear the sidewalks themselves of snow every winter because, they say, the city doesn't do it.

During the meeting with residents, among others, Mateusz Gieryga, councilor from the Civic Coalition club, was present.

"The city must act for its residents," argued Mateusz Gieryga. "Of course, the law is the law, but sometimes there are situations in which we can't act against the residents. Just like here. When residents don't have a place to put these bins, I believe we should legalize the status quo, which has existed for decades. Let's remember that here on Poniatowskiego Street, we have a wide sidewalk and designated parking spaces. These bins simply don't inconvenience residents or drivers. I don't know why they would. I believe that today, as a city, we should help these residents, not make things more difficult."

On Friday, the councilor announced that he would "try to get to the Municipal Services Department to find a solution to the problem together with the management" that same day.

Karol CIEPLIŃSKI