My First Visit from the Trash Inspector.

[ultrarunner]

I knew it was just a question of time before the trash inspector would be making a visit.

The city where I work has instituted a source waste management ordinance with teeth as in the power to cite and fine.

Currently work spends 15k annually for a 6 yard dumpster twice a week and another 3k for a recycling dumpster once per week.

Today I learned that I have a lot of work to do...

The biggest change concerns used paper products... like used restroom paper towels, paper plates, cups, left over food and the occasional bag of leaves and branches... all these items must be directed to a new dumpster for organic recycling which starts at $100 per week...

Since this is a hospital I question the logic of recycling used restroom paper napkins... but rules are rules.

I will also loose my ace in the hole to dispose of midnight dumper trash... which happens in the early AM... never know what I might find... appliances, construction Debitors from lath and plaster to concrete.

The biggest change will be having to have multiple containers side by side for inside for trash...

Example... in the lobby restroom I will need to have a Organic Recyclable for used paper towels.

I will also need to have next to it a Trash receptacle should the used paper towel have blood as in someone has a bloody nose...

Everything about modern infection control is about minimizing contact and efficient disposal... I see no way to police what the public tosses into the building containers... it is hard enough to police staff in the break and lunch rooms!

I will certainly give it my best... add in-house garbage police to my list of titles...

 

[k0ua]

Garbage cop:laughing: Gotta love California.... I have never understood why people live there.:confused3:

 

[ultrarunner]

It is big business since garbage service is compulsory just about everywhere here and unpaid bills result in a city lien against the serviced property...

I often wondered how a private for profit company is guaranteed 100% on accounts receivable with the city doing the legal work and filing the liens... it is much easier for government entities to lien than non-government.

I will need to readjust my attitude from I'm paying $1250 a month for biweekly dumpster service so I'm going to make sure it goes out full and getting full value.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I knew it was just a question of time before the trash inspector would be making a visit.

The city where I work has instituted a source waste management ordinance with teeth as in the power to cite and fine.

Currently work spends 15k annually for a 6 yard dumpster twice a week and another 3k for a recycling dumpster once per week.

Today I learned that I have a lot of work to do...

The biggest change concerns used paper products... like used restroom paper towels, paper plates, cups, left over food and the occasional bag of leaves and branches... all these items must be directed to a new dumpster for organic recycling which starts at $100 per week...

Since this is a hospital I question the logic of recycling used restroom paper napkins... but rules are rules.

I will also loose my ace in the hole to dispose of midnight dumper trash... which happens in the early AM... never know what I might find... appliances, construction Debitors from lath and plaster to concrete.

The biggest change will be having to have multiple containers side by side for inside for trash...

Example... in the lobby restroom I will need to have a Organic Recyclable for used paper towels.

I will also need to have next to it a Trash receptacle should the used paper towel have blood as in someone has a bloody nose...

Everything about modern infection control is about minimizing contact and efficient disposal... I see no way to police what the public tosses into the building containers... it is hard enough to police staff in the break and lunch rooms!

I will certainly give it my best... add in-house garbage police to my list of titles...

I would do some checking with the local health department and the state environmental agency; some of these practices seem to be suspect. I wouldn't be surprised if the process you describe comes under further scrutiny elsewhere. I know in this state, we used to have special disposal requirements for hospital waste, and even had a licensed incinerator that burned all that nasty biological stuff, including sharps, etc. Radioactive materials could not be incinerated, at least until they were depleted.

 

[Rustyiron]

:duh:
The "energy" consumed by writing, printing, inspecting, enforcing, complying & executing………
Do they think these things out? NFW!

 

[ultrarunner]

I would do some checking with the local health department and the state environmental agency; some of these practices seem to be suspect. I wouldn't be surprised if the process you describe comes under further scrutiny elsewhere. I know in this state, we used to have special disposal requirements for hospital waste, and even had a licensed incinerator that burned all that nasty biological stuff, including sharps, etc. Radioactive materials could not be incinerated, at least until they were depleted.

Yes... I did ask her several specific to medical questions and she said she would need to get back to me...

The dirty paper plates, used paper cups and tossed out food in the trash is what the inspector wrote up.... these were all bagged and placed in the 6 yard dumpster in violation.

All of the above must be placed in a yet to arrive organic dumpster for collection... however, anything with blood has to be sorted out...

Then we have separate collections for Sharps, Pharmaceuticals, Fluorescent Bulbs, Processing Waste, Batteries, Radiologicals as well as secure document destruction collection points through out the facility.

 

[stuckmotor]

The junk **** wrote me a letter one time. I had to part with that old car I'd been meaning to turn into a farm buggy. I've got another one in the yard now. Hopefully I'll get rid of it before he returns.

 

[Loadstar]

That's a new one on me. Our dump loves organic waste and even takes in dry poo from city sewer department. They are selling the methane. The more organic the more it produces. They want it all though.

 

[ultrarunner]

We need to separate the organic from trash from recyclables plus all the other things that require special disposal.

It just that soiled paper is now organic as is wood unless it is painted wood...

 

[Rock knocker]

Seattle instituted a system where homeowners could be fined if their trash "appeared" to have more than 10% recyclables in it. They have now dropped the program because a judge declared it an unreasonable search without probable cause. I always thought it was going to be dropped because of implimentation issues. There was no system to contest the fine, no documentation or training on what 10% appears to be, and just exactly what appears to be 10% means. Does 9% appear to be 10%? But 9% is legal, unless it appears to be 10%.

 

[ultrarunner]

Exactly... how can someone tell if a few recyclables are intermixed with 6 yards of trash?

I'm really not excited about being any more of the in house trash sorter/inspector than I already am... plus having to purchase all these extra containers which will need to be individually transported to the property outside bin.

So instead of having 150 receptacles inside the hospital I would need to have at least 300 for effective point of disposal sorting...

Plus in a hospital we are required to use waste receptacles that are fire rated not to support or add to combustion...

 

[DT86]

We need to separate the organic from trash from recyclables plus all the other things that require special disposal.

It just that soiled paper is now organic as is wood unless it is painted wood...

Do they expect you to police the actual use of the trash cans prior to being emptied into the dumpsters and/or sift through them to insure everything is in its place?

 

[Rock knocker]

I went to graduate school, and I get confused on what goes where when I belly up to a row of cans, each for a specific material.

So then I just throw everything in the garbage

 

[ultrarunner]

Implementation is to start with new containers that are color coded with signage and reminders...

Staff is generally pretty good... the general public is abysmal for the most part and it may not be their fault... elderly, infirmed, alzheimer's, vision impaired or simply don't give a darn as toilet stoppages bear this out...

It was suggested Security Cameras directed to the lunch room, break room and outside dumpsters would go a long way to kick start this program and a $500 grant is being offered for education expenses...

Dealing with illegal dumping already takes valuable time each day... the cost of disposal has gone through the roof and daily on my way to work I see new dumping on the right of ways...

 

[oosik]

When I worked for the Health Dept in Anchorage, ALL hospital waste was incinerated. The hospital had its own incinerator. Made for easy on-site collection & disposal. Monthly, the ash from the incinerator was hauled to the city landfill and deposited at an approved site & covered.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Our city collects the recyclables...paper, plastic, metals separate from the rest of the trash; but it is voluntary. We put all of our organics; kitchen waste and garden wastes into the compost, so our "trash" is greatly reduced. In a week, we will usually have maybe two kitchen sized bags that go to "trash". At that rate, it would take a month or more to fill the typical trash container; the recycle container is usually full at the end of two weeks. It works well for us; wish it were made mandatory.

 

[ultrarunner]

Incinerators in practical terms are no more due to air regulations here... even my grade school had one that was used daily.

There are still offsite medical incinerators with scrubbers/monitoring and a few crematoriums.

 

[ultrarunner]

Our city collects the recyclables...paper, plastic, metals separate from the rest of the trash; but it is voluntary. We put all of our organics; kitchen waste and garden wastes into the compost, so our "trash" is greatly reduced. In a week, we will usually have maybe two kitchen sized bags that go to "trash". At that rate, it would take a month or more to fill the typical trash container; the recycle container is usually full at the end of two weeks. It works well for us; wish it were made mandatory.

At home I don't fill one small garbage bag each week... I have the smallest can size allowed at 20 gallons and it really would be good for once a month...

Trash is always a problem at multi unit property... the big ones are scavengers... even got sued by one scavenging my curbside trash and the insurance company paid $2500 saying it was cheaper than to fight... the other is people driving by and putting things like paint, motor oil or batteries in my curbside trash cans.

Like it or not... every landlord in here has to be very careful and short of standing on the curb on collection day... things still happen.

The compulsory service ordinance means the only choice is between size of container... residential 20 gallon to 96 gallon or multiples of the above...

 

[jerrybob]

Around here it's pretty rural.......no recycling unless you take it to special dumpsters.....most people don't. The low life idiots have a very inexpensive solution to their trash needs.......load up the back of your pick up.....take it up a logging road and dump it. These idiots are the same folks who keep asking....why are they putting gates on all the logging roads......go figure.

 

[skipples]

Today, 06:33 AM
@ k0ua This might be why folks live here: