Tag: dumpster cleanliness

Communities Focus on Reducing Solid Waste – Can You Help?

Communities Focus on Reducing Solid Waste - Can You Help?
Communities Focus on Reducing Solid Waste – Can You Help?

How quickly does your dumpster get filled up? Many communities are working to save the environment by focusing on reduction of solid waste. Here are some ways you can join the fight.

Tips to Reduce Solid Waste

1. Throw Fewer Things Away

Common sense dictates that the fewer things you throw away, the less garbage you’ll have. Get into the habit of thinking twice before automatically disposing of an item. Has it really outlived its usefulness? Maybe you can repurpose the item or pass it along to someone else who can put it to use.

2. Be Mindful of Packaging

Earthworks Group, a consulting firm that specializes in sustainability projects, says that packaging comprises approximately one-third of the contents of our country’s landfills.

Even if your business doesn’t actually package products, it uses items that come in packages. Look for suppliers that use minimal packaging made from recycled materials.

3. Promote Recycling

Recycling pays double dividends. It keeps items out of landfills and reduces the need for natural resources.

Some of the more common recycling programs include:

• Curbside recycling containers for widely-used items such as newspapers, glass bottles and aluminum containers

• Community recycling centers or recycling zones

• Composing programs that gather organic waste for mulch or landfill cover

Improve Operations with an Electric Dumpster Pusher

No matter how heavy your dumpster gets, a single employee can move it safely and efficiently using a dumpster pusher from DJ Products. Call 800.686.2651 to learn more about products like our best-selling WasteCaddyLite, which can move loads of up to 2,000 pounds.

Tips for Your Staff on Using Your Dumpster Safely

Dumpster Safety
Dumpster Safety

Whether you’re working a temporary construction project or you manage a large multi-family housing property, effective trash removal is a major part of the job. Avoid injury claims and work stoppages by making sure your employees are trained in these dumpster safety tips:

• People sometimes open dumpster gates as a shortcut for loading trash. If the gates do get opened, be sure they are securely closed immediately. Trash that spills out of the dumpster can be a safety risk and result in fines.

• Overfilling the dumpster is another sure way to end up with unsightly and dangerous spillage. Some states and municipalities prohibit trash pick-up if the waste extends beyond the top of the dumpster, which makes additional work for your employees.

• Eco-friendly trash removal involves more than toxic or radioactive materials. Ordinary household items such as paints, pesticides and batteries should never be placed in a dumpster. Take electronic waste like computers and televisions to the appropriate recycling facility.

• Distribute trash evenly throughout the dumpster so it stays level and balanced, especially when it’s being moved.

• Paper, cardboard and other lightweight materials can easily fly out of the dumpster. Keep these objects weighted down by heavier items, placing them all in bags if possible.

Practice Dumpster Safety with Electric Tuggers from DJ Products

Even if you carefully follow these dumpster safety tips, moving awkward and heavy dumpsters is a two-person job. Visit our website to learn how our battery-powered WasteCaddy lets a single employee maneuver dumpsters up to 5,000 pounds, even up inclines and across snow and ice.

For Condo Property Managers Dumpster Cleanliness is Job One

Keep Your Renters Happy
Keep Your Renters Happy

Bells and whistles are nice, but property management has to start with getting the basics right. For residents, this begins with clean and efficient trash service.

Keeping the dumpster areas clean helps in three important ways: maintaining a great atmosphere for residents, preventing pest infestations, and preventing worker injuries.

Here’s what safety experts recommend for dumpster cleanliness:

  • Avoid overstuffing. Even if it fits, the next person will be tempted to leave trash on the ground or let the dumpster. You may need an extra dumpster or more frequent disposal if this is a frequent problem.
  • No loose items. Everything other than bulk items should go in heavy-duty trash bags. Kitchen trash bags should be combined into larger, stronger trash bags. Most importantly, all food waste should be bagged.
  • Keep the surroundings clear. Trash on the ground brings pests and lets filth build up. It’s also a tripping hazard.
  • Place signs with instructions. Prohibited items, recycling guidelines, and safety practices should be posted for both condo employees and residents.
  • Move dumpsters safely between collection sites and pick-up sites. Efficient trash systems tend to be cleaner. With a motorized dumpster tugger it’s easy to place dumpsters where people can easily use them, then have staff members move them to garages or pick-up spots for disposal.

A dumpster tugger helps you keep trash areas safe and clean. Need to move the dumpster because of construction or special events? Want to move dumpsters from a garage to the street? One employee can easily maneuver it across the property.

Learn more at DJProducts.com about using a dumpster tugger or bin mover to improve condo management.

Dumpster Cleanliness Tips for Apartment Managers

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How to Keep That Dumpster Clean?

There’s a lot riding on the appearance and reputation of your property. Apartment managers have to be careful about keeping dumpster areas clean in order to keep tenants happy and maintain curb appeal. At the same time, messy dumpsters create a health and injury risk for everyone.

Overfilled dumpsters also present an environmental risk. If your apartments are advertised as a green business, you especially don’t want stray garbage becoming a water pollutant. The Keep It Clean Partnership lists trash from overfilled dumpsters as one of the most common causes of polluted waters. If the trash gets into a storm drainage system, filth and dangerous chemicals wind up in local creeks and rivers.

So, what can apartment managers do to keep dumpsters clean?

  • Locate dumpsters where employees and tenants can easily use them
  • Keep the outside of the dumpsters clean so people will get their trash in the dumpster, not on the ground nearby
  • Use dumpster tugs for a solution to safely transport dumpsters from collection areas to pickup areas
  • Frequently clean up spills and refuse that are left behind

Dumpster Tugs: Put Garbage Where It Belongs

Material handling equipment helps employees take care of difficult, strenuous tasks like pushing or pulling heavy equipment like dumpsters. What if one employee could safely move the dumpster bins from the collection area out to the curb, without the physical risk of doing it manually?

Dumpster tugs protect workers from injuries and make garbage collection a more tidy and efficient process. Contact DJ Products for more information about a variety of dumpster tugs, ranging from trash container movers to heavy-duty towing equipment.