Waste Not / Want Not

Trash - love or hate it, it's NEVER going away without a contractor. Today, for WM, it's Rumpke, which rumbles into our hood early every Friday morning unless it follows a major holiday (one day delay). For those who are new, it's recommended to drag it (trash / recycling) out post 5 PM on Thursdays so you don't miss the truck.

I'm writing this post, because over the years, I've been asked, what exactly can I discard in my weekly waste besides "normal" trash? Good news, the bidding process answers said question: "The Contractor shall include in the collection of waste material all appliances and furniture, including but not limited to dishwashers, stoves, washers, dryers, televisions, sofas, chairs and other furniture, water heaters, and mattresses; all refrigerators and air conditioners with CFCs removed and certification sticker and necessary documentation attached; lumber and building materials cut down to 4 foot lengths; household debris of miscellaneous items when properly bagged, boxed, or contained; and in general, collection of everything that is set out at the curb for collection, except rocks, concrete, bricks or other masonry items, tires, and stationary tubs."

Personally, this is great to hear because when you upgrade or replace your home appliances or furniture you CAN put it to the curb w/o charge! We recently purchased a new washer and it was a $59 to see it disappear. Sorry parents, you can't throw out your child's rock collection (darn!)

Another common questions is, how much trash can be set out each week?

"Waste collection from all establishments will be limited to six (6), twenty-seven (27) gallon containers or no more than fifty (50) pounds in weight in each container."

What?!? Well, wow, that's a lot of trash! This is a surprise since most of us rarely produce that amount weekly. To give relevant context, to that amount, a common wheeled trash can typically ranges from 32 to 50 gallon. Please keep in mind, this requirement is for trash - recycling is different (next question below)

Now that trash is covered, what about recycling because I don't want the dreaded scarlet letter sticker slapped on my recycling bin!!

"Recyclables collected shall include, at a minimum: aluminum, bi-metal and steel cans; aerosol cans; glass bottles and jars; all plastic bottles and jugs (regardless of plastic number); newspaper, magazines, and mixed paper; phone books, brown grocery bags, clean pizza boxes and cardboard. Additional recyclable items may be collected as approved by the Contractor"

At a high level, this all makes sense, but for years I never knew exactly what I can / can't lob into our 65 gallon "recycling cart" aka bin provided free of charge to WM residents. Thankfully, Rumpke provides the details to this age ole question. If that's too much recycling for your household, don't worry because a mini-me 18 gallon recycling bin is also available free of charge.

Finally, our township is currently seeking potential suitors to handle the load for 1,641 commercial & residential establishments the next three and / or up to five years. If you've got a relative, in the trash business, have them check out the current bidding request. They have until the EOM to be considered for the opportunity to service our community.

Until next time, keep it clean and don't trash the hood!