Trashing The Planet (or at least one little corner of it)

[tjkubota93]

The city that annexed us has a transfer station where a resident (not a contractor) can dump 1 load of trash every day. Any idea why they turned me away with a load of ceramic tile? That is one of the few prohibited items. What is the reasoning? I didn't want to ask the woman working there and seem argumentative, she was kinda mean anyway.

 

[4570Man]

I would think it would be regular trash as long as it fits in the trash tote and is not overweight... sure, it may take months of handling to get rid of.

I order the dumpsters and oversee disposal for the Hospital... much of the job is ensuring items are properly sorted and disposed of... with sorting being on going...

One of my elderly neighbors received a large screen TV from her kids... for weeks she tried to get rid of the packing... Waste Management said it had to be sorted and completely within the can for it to be taken...

Driving by I did not realize it was the same stuff week after week... saw her with a Kitchen Knife trying to cut it up with her arthritic hands and stopped and said I will take care of it for you... you would have thought I had just offered to pay a month utilities or something...

It was no big deal for me... as the charge for the Hospital is per dumpster... full or empty it is the same.

If I’ve just got a little bit I’ll cut it up in little pieces that won’t raise red flags and throw it in the scrap bin at the dump. But that’s not very practical for a lot. The other option is to burn it which raises problems with zink poisoning but once it’s burned it rust away pretty quick.

 

[bcp]

The city that annexed us has a transfer station where a resident (not a contractor) can dump 1 load of trash every day. Any idea why they turned me away with a load of ceramic tile? That is one of the few prohibited items. What is the reasoning? I didn't want to ask the woman working there and seem argumentative, she was kinda mean anyway.

Possible asbestos in the adhesive or grout.

Bruce

 

[tjkubota93]

Possible asbestos in the adhesive or grout.

Bruce

on the answer

Or

on the asbestos

 

[ultrarunner]

If I’ve just got a little bit I’ll cut it up in little pieces that won’t raise red flags and throw it in the scrap bin at the dump. But that’s not very practical for a lot. The other option is to burn it which raises problems with zink poisoning but once it’s burned it rust away pretty quick.

I had to laugh a little...

Over the years several projects like tiling have generated a lot of refuse...

Lucky for me that I have always had the best of neighbors and amazing how much one can dispose when you have a dozen containers available on pick up day...

These days it is more with Green Waste... we neighbors are always strategizing to achieve maximum utilization and I do not feel bad in the least as Waste Management is not optional... every improved parcel in the city MUST have Waste Management and failure to pay the bill results in a CITY administrative fee with charges as a lien against the property...

 

[k0ua]

What do you all do with used fence wire? Locally the 吐ree dump won稚 take it, the paid dump won稚 take it and the scrap yard won稚 take it.

Our scrap yard here took it. Of course that was years ago, But they took the barb wire and the woven wire too, all in rolls of course.

 

[aczlan]

Our scrap yard here took it. Of course that was years ago, But they took the barb wire and the woven wire too, all in rolls of course.

Same here, the lady said that they weren't really supposed to take the field fence, but I only had a few rolls, so it was ok.

Aaron Z

 

[ultrarunner]

I've seen the scrap yard put misc wire in a compactor and it makes cubes from it all...

They have their own dock and ship scrap to Asia from the SF Bay Area

Maybe this is not universal?

 

[quicksandfarmer]

I've seen the scrap yard put misc wire in a compactor and it makes cubes from it all...

They have their own dock and ship scrap to Asia from the SF Bay Area

Maybe this is not universal?

They told me that high-tensile jams their compactor.

 

[ultrarunner]

I can see where it would cause problems with the shredders... but, the compactor isn't very sophisticated... at least the one I saw.

 

[goeduck]

I've seen the scrap yard put misc wire in a compactor and it makes cubes from it all...

They have their own dock and ship scrap to Asia from the SF Bay Area

Maybe this is not universal?

I roll it up the best that I can, same thing for hogwire and chickenwire. I then partially flatten it with the loader, then run over it with the tractor. Fold it again, if you can, and run over it again. Gets it real flat and compact. Then toss it in the metal recycle. As posted tensile wire that will not deform is a problem.

 

[Oaktree]

You know... some plastic is recyclable and others not... some green waste cant go in the green waste like palm fronds because it clogs the shredders, pizza box green waste, newspaper recycle, glossy magazines trash... unpainted wood is green waste... painted or treated garbage... cooking grease green waste but only in cardboard/paper container... and so it goes.

To make matters worse if the recycle trucks are full... it all goes to trash anyway.

Hopefully not all cities in Calif. have policies quite as needlessly confusing as yours. While there's much about Calif. that I don't understand, this takes the prize. Do politicians there stay up nights coming up with the most convoluted, impractical regulations possible?

Betcha most of that painstakingly sorted "recycling" goes in the trash once it gets where ever they go anyway.

I roll it up the best that I can, same thing for hogwire and chickenwire. I then partially flatten it with the loader, then run over it with the tractor. Fold it again, if you can, and run over it again. Gets it real flat and compact. Then toss it in the metal recycle. As posted tensile wire that will not deform is a problem.

That's pretty much what I've done too. If it's metal, it goes in the metal bin. Don't think I've ever had to deal with high tensile wire, but no one's ever given me a hard time about chicken or other similar fencing wire.

What I find weird is policies towards wood here. Old pallets can go in the yard waste pile (which gets burned once or twice a year), but any lumber must go in the "demolition" dumpster...even plain, untreated/unpainted wood. Dump attendant said he didn't get it either...state regulation.

I went to Walmart to pick up some printer ink, and there was only one package of the kind I wanted on the shelf. I picked it up, and it had been opened, the inner package had been opened also, and the new cartridge removed and replaced with an empty....$28.00...but being one of the necessities of life, I can see why they were forced to steal it.

I must have missed the smiley. Since when is a printer a "necessity of life"? I print something maybe 3 or 4 time a year.

 

[Alan W.]

Hate printer cartridges and the price gouging not to mention the waste for those who dont recycle. This is why I bought the printer I have. I could get refillable cartridges for it off ebay. Now I just buy the bulk ink and refill to my hearts content.

My wife takes all our recycles to work with her, they have a large bin there the county provided, our local recycle center no longer takes glass because one of their burnt out, meth head, jail workers cut himself on some.

Our landfill and metal recycler will not take fencing.

Landfill lost a large contract and now will be charging locals whereas it didnt before. So that means the cheap losers will be throwing it out wherever. County thought about mandating paid garbage service but said it would be too hard on the poor and could deprive them of their cigarette and beer money.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Hate printer cartridges and the price gouging not to mention the waste for those who dont recycle. This is why I bought the printer I have. I could get refillable cartridges for it off ebay. Now I just buy the bulk ink and refill to my hearts content.

My wife takes all our recycles to work with her, they have a large bin there the county provided, our local recycle center no longer takes glass because one of their burnt out, meth head, jail workers cut himself on some.

Our landfill and metal recycler will not take fencing.

Landfill lost a large contract and now will be charging locals whereas it didnt before. So that means the cheap losers will be throwing it out wherever. County thought about mandating paid garbage service but said it would be too hard on the poor and could deprive them of their cigarette and beer money.

Which I am sure you and I provide for anyway... Why can't the people on welfare pick up the trash along the streets?

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have noticed that and it bugs me. People in need of various things and help for a variety of reasons. Always "just" sitting around, amidst garbage, or debris, waiting for a handout.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

What do you all do with used fence wire? Locally the 吐ree dump won稚 take it, the paid dump won稚 take it and the scrap yard won稚 take it.

My local steel recyclers will take it, but it has to be cut into 8' lengths and bundled flat. They won't take a rats nest of field wire.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

The city that annexed us has a transfer station where a resident (not a contractor) can dump 1 load of trash every day. Any idea why they turned me away with a load of ceramic tile? That is one of the few prohibited items. What is the reasoning? I didn't want to ask the woman working there and seem argumentative, she was kinda mean anyway.

Landfills generally won't take dirt or concrete. Ceramics are both.

 

[Oaktree]

Hate printer cartridges and the price gouging not to mention the waste for those who dont recycle. This is why I bought the printer I have. I could get refillable cartridges for it off ebay. Now I just buy the bulk ink and refill to my hearts content.

I've had mixed luck with trying to refill inkjet cartridges. Sometimes it works, other times there's an internal chip that keeps track of hours used, and once it reaches a preset time it doesn't work anymore. I've come to detest inkjet printers in general. The heads clog if you don't use them frequently, and some won't print at all if one color is empty. Phooey. Went with a laser and never looked back.

our local recycle center no longer takes glass because one of their burnt out, meth head, jail workers cut himself on some.

I read somewhere that many communities weren't accepting glass for recycling anymore. Apparently there's no demand for it. I'd always thought that glass was one of those things that was easy to recycle like aluminum (whose scrap prices have also cratered in the last year or so), but I guess not.

Landfill lost a large contract and now will be charging locals whereas it didnt before. So that means the cheap losers will be throwing it out wherever.

My town (as do most in my area) does pay-per-throw. You buy special trash bags from the town, these are all the transfer station will accept. Tires, electronics, demolition material and freon-bearing appliances all cost to drop off. Cardboard, mixed paper, glass, steel and aluminum cans and type 1 & 2 plastic are no charge. Separate bins for each item. They don't accept any sort of liquid waste (motor oil, antifreeze, paint, etc).
You see some roadside dumping, but it doesn't seem to be out of control.

 

[Alan W.]

Oaktree, I also had trouble refilling printer cartridges that had the print head on the cartridge. So I bought a Brother that had separate ink tanks. Yes they had chips so I bought a refillable set and bulk ink off ebay. They work great and the printer thinks all is well.

 

[ultrarunner]

Survey of Downtown San Francisco Reveals Trash on Every Block, 33 Piles of Feces and 1 Drug Needles - NBC Bay Area

Plenty of room for improvement...