Dougherty Arts Center
Where Trailer Waste Goes
RECEIVED Mon., May 17, 2010
Dear Editor,
Re: “Trailer Snack Smackdown” [News, May 14]: The idea of mobile vending is that a vehicle goes out into the community for three or four hours to provide food and beverages and then returns to its commissary to be cleaned and restocked. Under this premise, less regulation is feasible because while food temperature is a concern, the rule of time as a health control may be employed. Mobile units have hot and cold running water and thus produce gray water which needs to be disposed of properly. If mobile vending units dispose of their waste in the streets or storm drains or other unapproved facilities (and some do), the taxpayer is saddled with the bill for cleanup. Stationary units do not return to their commissary every day, which begs the question, “Where does all their waste go?”
In truth, mobile vending in Austin is largely unregulated. When an operator wants to start a mobile vending business, he need only pay certain fees and bring the trailer to the health department for a physical inspection. An operator can receive a mobile vending permit without possession of a driver’s license. On the anniversary of his permit, he brings the trailer for another physical inspection. Most mobile vendors are rarely inspected in actual operation. There is only one health inspector assigned to mobile vending. But for biannual mobile awareness days, during which all inspectors are to canvass areas to inspect mobile vendors, operators run their businesses in peace. In contrast, restaurants are inspected every six months. Restaurants receive scored inspections which are posted on the Health Department website. Mobile vendors affect every branch of government, from public utilities to zoning to health, and movements to impose stricter regulations are cyclical. When enough bad press affects public opinion, regulators turn tail and run.
Re: “Trailer Snack Smackdown” [News, May 14]: The idea of mobile vending is that a vehicle goes out into the community for three or four hours to provide food and beverages and then returns to its commissary to be cleaned and restocked. Under this premise, less regulation is feasible because while food temperature is a concern, the rule of time as a health control may be employed. Mobile units have hot and cold running water and thus produce gray water which needs to be disposed of properly. If mobile vending units dispose of their waste in the streets or storm drains or other unapproved facilities (and some do), the taxpayer is saddled with the bill for cleanup. Stationary units do not return to their commissary every day, which begs the question, “Where does all their waste go?”
In truth, mobile vending in Austin is largely unregulated. When an operator wants to start a mobile vending business, he need only pay certain fees and bring the trailer to the health department for a physical inspection. An operator can receive a mobile vending permit without possession of a driver’s license. On the anniversary of his permit, he brings the trailer for another physical inspection. Most mobile vendors are rarely inspected in actual operation. There is only one health inspector assigned to mobile vending. But for biannual mobile awareness days, during which all inspectors are to canvass areas to inspect mobile vendors, operators run their businesses in peace. In contrast, restaurants are inspected every six months. Restaurants receive scored inspections which are posted on the Health Department website. Mobile vendors affect every branch of government, from public utilities to zoning to health, and movements to impose stricter regulations are cyclical. When enough bad press affects public opinion, regulators turn tail and run.
Divinity Taylor
[Staff writer Wells Dunbar responds: While unresolved issues exist regarding mobile vendor permitting, waste management differs between truly mobile and stationary carts. To answer Divinity Taylor's question, one of the businesses profiled, Torchy's Tacos, has its gray water removed by a professional service, according to co-owner Bob Gentry. It seems the search for "one size fits all" regulations for truly mobile and stationary vendors alike leads to the regulatory impasse.]
