A recent article in the Kern Valley Sun discusses this issue within the town. Not everyone takes their trash to a dump site in a tarp, it appears, and the town’s Waste Management Department plans to charge a fee for those that arrive at a disposal site without a tarp. Those spotted on the road not covering their trash, however, will receive a much larger fine. According to this article, plastic or canvas tarps held in place by rope or bungee cords is acceptable.

Using a tarp to cover trash in a car or pickup truck can be done with any type of material, as long as it’s held in place. A polyethylene tarp will hold the load down and also protect it from water, in case rain hits. If water isn’t a concern, however, using a polypropylene mesh tarp is also acceptable. If canvas is the only material around your home, it, too, is also acceptable, as long as it’s held in place. All tarps used to cover a truck load must be secured firmly to prevent wind whip, as this can tear or shorten the lifespan of the material.

In Anderson, South Carolina, whether to use a tarp or another material for transporting trash is somewhat of an issue. Essentially, the town wants to prevent litter when residents transport their trash by car or truck and, in a local law, requires a “tarp” to cover any trash being moved. This includes trash cans that even have a locked lid. In any instance trash could escape, a tarp-like material is required. Residents, on the other hand, think that an actual polyethylene tarp is needed, and the town plans to revise this law to define a tarp as any material that will effectively cover a load of trash. As mentioned in the article, this could include a bed sheet or netting, as long as the material prevents any trash from being blown out.

While using the proper material when transporting trash is an issue, a more prominent issue is how the load, including the “tarp” is being secured. With a traditional dump or flatbed truck, when a tarp isn’t properly secured, the tarp can come loose, thus exposing the load to moisture, or it can experience wind whip, which decreases the lifespan of a tarp. When residents of Anderson or any Southern town with a similar issue plan to use a tarp or similar material, they should secure it, so that the material doesn’t come loose and allow trash to fly out.

Essentially, using a tarp or a net to prevent garbage from being blown about is much like using a truck tarp on a larger vehicle. Although some states, as mentioned in previous posts, have different regulations regarding when to use truck tarps, with some states stating that a tarp isn’t necessary if the load is one foot below the edge of the truck, having a polyethylene or mesh tarp in place prevents particles of all sizes – from sand to trash – from blowing out of the vehicle. Essentially the unsecured load law in West Virginia is much like a tarp law, only the material covering the load doesn’t always need to be a tarp.

A tarp gives the most effective protection out of the three options mentioned in the article: tarps, netting, and cardboard. When using a tarp with a truck, both mesh and poly tarps can be used with different types of materials. When the transported materials can’t be exposed to water, such as asphalt, a poly tarp fully secured is ideal, while material that can be exposed to some water or moisture, such as gravel or sand, can be protected with a mesh tarp.