Responsible Waste Management

Did you know Americans generate more than 250 million tons of waste per year? Fortunately, decades of focus on recycling has directed about 35 percent of that waste away from landfills and toward more responsible destinations where it can be composted or reused. When it comes to taking responsibility for your own waste, what measures can you take to protect the environment?
Focus on recycling

First and foremost, if you don’t want to attract pests, be mindful of what you put into your dumpster rental. Never place food items into it, as it will rot and stink up your immediate area. Flies will be attracted to it, which will cause an infestation of maggots. Raccoons are notorious for finding ways into tight spaces to retrieve all types of items, and you don’t want to entice them with food odors. If you live in an area where bears are present, you should be well aware of the dangers of attracting these large beasts with improperly disposed of food waste.

Unfortunately, not every community has a recycling program, which makes it more difficult for residents to get actively involved in recycling. However, with a little dedication, you can create collection bins of your own, find nearby recycling facilities and even sell your glass and aluminum for a little extra cash.

Compost your organic waste

Food scraps, yard trimming, coffee grounds, tea bags, eggs shells and other organic waste can be composted for a convenient and beneficial way to handle what would otherwise go to your local landfill. This nutrient rich compost can be used to enrich your soil, improving its structure and allowing for better root growth. Simply put, plants thrive in compost, and when you create your own compost, you won’t have to run to the local hardware store to purchase bags and bags of dirt for your yard.

However, you can put all organic waste in your pile. Here are some items you don’t want in your compost pile because they do more harm than good:

  • Bones
  • Fatty food waste
  • Meat
  • Cat litter
  • Diseased plants
  • Invasive weeds
What to do with your electronics

It’s amazing how fast technology changes. Innovation is giving us better electronics, but its also creating piles and piles of unused gear that needs to be responsibly recycled. These items also don’t belong in your trashcan or dumpster.

  • Computers
  • Laptops
  • Monitors (CRT and LCD)
  • Printers/Scanners
  • Fax machines
  • Copiers
  • Keyboards and Mice
  • Televisions
  • VCRs
  • DVD players
  • Stereos
  • Washers/dryers

These are items that are too often placed in landfills when they should be responsibly recycled. The National Safety Council estimates that 10 million computers a year are dumped and only 11 percent are being recycled. This means toxic chemicals such as chromium, mercury and other heavy metals are leaching into the soil around landfills. Furthermore, there is copper and gold in these electronics that should be recycled.

Did you know Americans generate more than 250 million tons of waste per year? Fortunately, decades of focus on recycling has directed about 35 percent of that waste away from landfills and toward more responsible destinations where it can be composted or reused

What to avoid putting in your dumpster

If you’ve rented a haul away dumpster, it’s tempting to see it as a huge catchall where anything and everything you don’t want in your home can quickly be disposed of. “Out of sight, out of mind,” right? Wrong.

You must practice responsible waste management, which means you need to know what not to put in your dumpster. Here is a short list:

  • Mattresses
  • Refrigerators
  • Tires
  • Paint cans
  • Lacquers
  • Adhesives
  • Batteries
  • Food waste
  • Oils
  • Fuels
  • Propane tanks
  • Railroad ties
  • Household cleaners
  • Ink and resins
  • Any hazardous materials
Find the right dumpster for your waste disposal

Need more assistance with responsible waste management? Contact us at A City Suburban Services. We’ll assist you in determining what materials should and should not go in your dumpster. We’ll also help you determine what size unit will be perfect for your project. Call us today at (773) 295-0303.