To Help Garbage and Recycling Collectors:
Think about what you put in the trash. Cat litter improperly disposed of is, um, a pet peeve, says Terrance Flynn, a New York City sanitation worker for 24 years. “People put it in a bag hidden inside another bag,” so unsuspecting workers don’t see it, says Flynn. The blade that scoops up trash often breaks the bags, spraying the litter everywhere.Don’t overload containers. Americans create an average of 4.6 pounds of garbage per person a day, and some routes cover up to 1,000 homes. Heavy cans and bins can cause muscle sprains.Never mix recyclables with other garbage. This can be illegal, plus “it’s a nuisance, and it costs the city money,” says Flynn.Watch where you put your bins — as in, never where dogs might think they’re trees or fire hydrants (blocking hydrants is a safety hazard, too).
