The Rural Municipality of Hanover is considering fining residents who do not clean up their garbage and recycling bins.

Reeve Stan Toews says some residents never clean up their bins. He notes they keep the bins at the road permanently and then on garbage or recycling day they just carry the garbage from their house and drop it in the bin at the road.

Toews stresses this is not a widespread issue in the municipality.

"It's not a huge concern," he says. "But there is certain areas where this happens and of course neighbours are getting kind of fed up with this."

Hanover council has given first reading to revise its Waste and Recycling Collection Bylaw. If approved, it will set time limits for how long the bins can be at the road. Toews says they will likely require that bins not be brought to the road any earlier than 12 hours before garbage or recycling pickup. They must then also be removed no more than 12 hours after pickup.

And, if there is non-compliance, council is considering imposing fines. The fine for an individual could be as high as $300 and for corporations, up to $600. If the fines are not paid, the municipality would have the authority to add that amount to the owner's property taxes.