It’s easy to be flippant about waste. After all, if it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind. But are you accidentally making things harder on your garbage collector or yourself? How does your garbage collector feel when they walk up to your home?
Here are some insider tips from sanitation workers to help you align more with your community guidelines and make your stop on trash pickup day the easiest part of their route.
Think About What You’re Throwing Away
If you aren’t familiar with the regulations of your local waste collection, you could accidentally commit sanitation violations. Consider any items that could be harmful to the workers or the environment. These should never be thrown in the trash and should be disposed of in a particular manner.
Many cities have designated areas where you can discard any hazardous materials. Do your part and learn more about how your sanitation department operates, and you’ll know what is supposed to go where.
Use Bags
Sanitation workers won’t be fond of you if you’re accustomed to tossing your trash directly into the container. Using bags is helpful for you as well. Throwing your trash into a container without a bag leaves a mess that can be hard to clean and attract pests. Put all of your garbage in a plastic bag, tie it off so it doesn’t spill out, then take it out. It’s going to make everyone’s lives a lot easier.
Throwing Out Something Big? Call for Trash Pickup Ahead of Time
Large, bulky items like appliances or furniture can be a pain to get rid of, so many homeowners opt to leave them on the curb for sanitation workers to take care of during regular garbage pickup. Instead, if you aren’t keen on making a trip to the dump yourself or can’t get there, call your local waste collection company and see if they’ll pick it up.
The pickup could cost an additional fee, and you’ll have to arrange a day for them to stop by and grab it. But if you’re just setting it out and surprising a sanitation worker, you’ve thrown a major wrench in their day — sometimes, they might not pick it up without calling it in.
Sort Your Recyclables
If you recycle, you’re likely someone that wants to do the right thing and be eco-friendly. But did you know that any unclean products will end up in a landfill anyway? Sorting your recycling takes only a fraction of the time once you get into a groove and can ensure that the materials actually get recycled.
Sanitation departments only accept clean recyclable products, so anything contaminated with food will automatically be thrown out. Doing so guarantees you aren’t wasting your time recycling and the worker’s time by sending what equates to waste back to a landfill. In some cities, recyclables are sorted more specifically, so it’s another opportunity to learn how your area handles recycling.