WasteCaddy Archives - Page 3 of 4

Beyond the Dumpster: The Recycling Challenge

The average American generates more than four pounds of trash per day. At that rate, it’s not surprising that employees need a powered dumpster mover to transport loads of waste products.

Despite the increase in eco-awareness, the U.S. still faces a serious trash problem that extends far beyond the dumpster on your property. What are the challenges to reducing the amount of landfill waste, and how can you contribute to the solution?

How Did We Get Here?

Short-sighted policies of decades past led to today’s problems. Land was seen as an almost unlimited resource, and in the “land of plenty” people became accustomed to easy disposability.

The negative environmental impact of landfills extends far and wide due to greenhouse gas pollution. Organic materials, largely from food waste, emit methane, which is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide. At this point, little is being done to capture methane emissions or eliminate them altogether.

Finding a Solution

Perhaps the U.S. can take its cues on waste reduction from other developed countries that have been more successful. For example, Germany has a recycling rate of 62 percent, nearly double the rate in the U.S., which is attributed to standardized laws throughout the country.

Here are some policies you can incorporate in your workplace:

– Make sure that all trash cans have an adjacent recycling bin.

– Include compost bins so food can be disposed of properly.

– Get tips and suggestions from your waste management company.

Lighten the Load with a Powered Dumpster Mover from DJ Products

Did you know that trashrooms are the most dangerous areas in a workplace? Contact us to learn how battery-powered movers such as our WasteCaddyLite can improve safety and efficiency at your property.

Beyond the Dumpster: The Growing Trash Problem

Beyond proper dumpster moving equipment for your facility, have you ever given any thought to the impact trash has on our society as a whole? Despite the increase in recycling efforts, waste disposal is still a serious issue generating problems for the environment.

Where Does All the Trash Go?

According to data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), approximately 251 million tons of trash are generated annually in the U.S. That works out to just under five pounds per person per day, which equates to four-fifths of a ton per person per year.

Currently, only one-third of trash is recycled, with another 12.5 percent going into incinerators. That leaves 55 percent to be deposited in landfills.

How Landfills Work

As one expert put it, dumping trash in landfills is more of a mummification process than a composting process. Once the landfill is sealed, the trash inside is cut off from air and water that would trigger natural decomposition.

Despite precautions, liquids from trash in landfills can seep into groundwater. Landfills are also responsible for one-fourth of all methane released into the air as well as 2.3 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.

Environmental laws have made landfills more expensive to create and operate, so there was a movement from many small landfills to a reduced number of mega-dumps. As a result, trash has to travel farther, which causes more pollution from transportation.

Eco-Friendly Dumpster Moving Equipment from DJ Products

Trash rooms are a prime risk area for costly musculoskeletal injuries. Battery-powered dumpster moving equipment such as our popular WasteCaddyLite reduces the strain and overexertion that often results from transporting dumpsters.

Call 800.686.2651 and let our friendly sales engineers help you find the right solution for your property.

It’s Our Most Popular – the WasteCaddyLite Dumpster Mover

Your Staff Needs Our Most Popular Dumpster Mover the WasteCaddy Lite

Nobody likes hassling with a heavy dumpster. That’s why our powered dumpster mover ranks as our most popular product! The WasteCaddyLite uses a battery-powered motor to assist employees who need to push, pull, or maneuver dumpsters. It’s the fastest and safest way to take care of trash duty at an office building or apartment complex.

We have larger options for more industrial needs, but the WasteCaddyLite handles the needs of most facility and property managers. It pushes up to 2,000 pounds at up to 3 miles per hour.

In other words, a powered dumpster mover lets your maintenance staff move the waste container as easily as a shopping cart!

Why Use a Powered Dumpster Mover?

An employee might have enough muscle to push a wheeled dumpster across a parking lot. However, if they do that routinely, a devastating injury is bound to occur.

Lower back strains, pulled muscles, or even spinal damage can occur from manually moving dumpsters. The WasteCaddyLite can keep your all-star janitor happy, productive, and on the clock.

Dumpster injuries also lead to high insurance premiums and costly worker’s compensation claims. Automated equipment reduces the risk and protects your bottom line.

Meet the WasteCaddyLite

We designed our powered dumpster mover with all the features you need. The bracket system can be bolted or welded to virtually any dumpster, and the wheels are safe for icy pavement or gravel.

Even the steering system has an ergonomic design and smooth functionality.

Check out the specs and features of the WasteCaddyLite to see if it suits your needs, or contact DJ Products to request info or a free demo.

Training Prevents Overexertion-type Push and Pull Injuries

With So Many Options, You Have to be Sure You Make the Right Choice. We Can Help.

The CDC has estimated that 30% of worker injuries stem from overexertion. Pushing and pulling causes at least 1 in 5 of those injuries. All are preventable if workers have the right tools and training.

The occupational health consultants at Ergonomics Plus stress the importance of a two-pronged approach to preventing overexertion injuries: training employees about proper habits and motions, and empowering them with powered equipment such as our WasteCaddy dumpster mover.

When it’s not an option to use motorized assistive tools, workers should practice the best mechanics for pushing and pulling. Top safety tips to give your team include:

> When possible, push rather than pull

> Ask a coworker to help with heavy loads

> Keeps floors clear and safe

> Avoid sudden, jerking motions

> Stand with feet shoulder-width apart

> Push with hands at chest height

Prevent Workplace Injuries When Moving Dumpsters & Carts

Anywhere that workers need to push or pull heavy carts, they need proper training and tools. This goes for distribution centers and warehouses as well as retail, apartment complexes, and office buildings.

If your staff must move heavy dumpsters, such as transferring from the parking garage to an outside pickup location, a battery-powered trash bin mover can help.

DJ Products makes the revolutionary WasteCaddy dumpster mover and the WasteCaddyLite to partially automate the task of moving dumpsters and waste bins. Workers simply steer, while the 3-mph powered dumpster mover safely maneuvers even on icy, rocky, or inclined ground.

Are you losing maintenance staff or paying workers’ compensation claims related to overexertion? Take a look at the WasteCaddy dumpster mover lineup from DJ Products.

Why Use the WasteCaddy 4SC Waste Bin Mover?

Questions as to Why Use the WasteCaddy 4SC?

Automated equipment that helps move dumpsters serves two equally important purposes: to prevent worker injuries and to increase productivity. Here’s why your business should be using a waste bin mover to assist with moving dumpsters from the trash room to pickup areas:

Trash-related injuries are the #1 risk at multifamily properties
Injuries vary from pinched fingers, crushed toes, to spinal injuries and more
Use 1 employee instead of 2 to handle trash duties
Safely haul trash in wet, snowy, or icy conditions
Maneuver waste bins around tight corners and through congested areas like parking lots

Get More Done with Less Labor Required

Do you wish labor costs ate up a smaller percentage of revenue? Many of our clients make significant improvements to their profitability by adding a waste bin mover.

Better workplace comfort can reduce turnover, too. In rental properties, your tenants feel the brunt of it when quality service staff are constantly disappearing.

Key Features of the User-Friendly WasteCaddy4SC

We have solutions for all sizes and weights of dumpsters. The WasteCaddy4SC is the waste bin mover of choice for many condominium and apartment management firms. It attaches easily to the wheeled side of a standard dumpster. DJ Products can provide a bracket if needed.

Then, it’s a simple matter of pushing a button and steering with an ergonomic handlebar grip. Move and maneuver the dumpster at up to 3 mph on any terrain, with an automatic brake for inclines.

Find out why the WasteCaddy4SC waste bin mover may save your company tens of thousands of dollars in injury claims and lost time. Ask us for a free demo today.

Dumpster Moving = Danger & Injury. The Case for Safety.

Support Your Staff with a Safe Workplace

The average cost of a trash room injury is more than $41,000 to the employer. To the injured worker, the trouble goes beyond pain and medical care. Great employees don’t stick around forever when working conditions are unpleasant and dangerous.

Making it worse, dumpster injuries are the most common type of injury for many janitorial and property management jobs. At apartment complexes and similar locations, the worst job of all is trash room duty without a dumpster mover.

All in all, dumpster-related injuries cost businesses big time in the short-term and long-term, in both concrete and intangible ways.

Why Dumpsters Cause Injury So Often

As risk specialist Brian Plautz of Minnesota Comp Advisor explains, there’s usually no good way to approach a dumpster and then push it or pull it. The worker exerts brute force to start the dumpster rolling. Then, there’s inevitably some kind of hazard—an inclined plane, rough terrain or gravel, or tight turns.

The heavy force of pushing or pulling combines with the high-torque movements of maneuvering a dumpster to create the perfect storm for back, neck, and shoulder injuries.

A Dumpster Mover Can Prevent Workers Comp Fraud

Invisible injuries like sprains and strains carry the highest risk of fraudulent claims. Plautz explains that unlike a broken bone, the worker can describe symptoms however they want and the doctor can never definitively say they’re cured. A motorized dumpster mover like the WasteCaddy from DJ Products essentially eliminates the risk of trash room injury in the first place.

Protect your workers—and protect your business—with the risk-reducing solution of the WasteCaddy from DJ Products. Contact us for more info!

Dumpster Fires Require Rapid Dumpster Removal

Crisis – Dumpster Fires Require Fast Action

Dumpster fires can be extremely dangerous to both people and nearby buildings. Little can be done until firefighters arrive, but you do have the safe option of using a motorized dumpster mover, which can potentially save lives and property.

A Harrowing Dumpster Fire at Goodwill

Like most buildings with dumpsters, the headquarters of Goodwill of South Central Wisconsin kept their waste containers right next to the building. This past June, something went terribly wrong and flames broke out. The building had to be evacuated because the fire could have easily spread inside before long.

Thankfully, a trash collection truck arrived at the scene. The good Samaritan truck driver pushed the container into the parking lot and tipped the box over, so its flame-engulfed contents could be readily extinguished by emergency responders.

No injuries were reported from the fire. Yet imagine the frightening possibilities. The entire building could have been burnt to cinders before long.

Improve Safety with Dumpster Movers

In an ideal world, waste containers would always be clean and property managers would have total control over what kinds of trash can go into the dumpster. But there’s always a risk that someone will put flammable items in your trash. Then all it takes is a flicked cigarette butt or a still-warm match to stoke the fire.

The WasteCaddy dumpster tows from DJ Products can be used to reduce the risk of worker injury on a daily basis, and you can even potentially use them to push containers during an emergency situation. Contact us to learn more about how dumpster movers can help manage risk at your business.

Technology and Trash Removal: Making Dumpsters “Smart”

Check It Out! Technology is Making Dumpster “Smart”

Today’s technology has given us smart phones, smart appliances and … smart dumpsters? Here’s how one forward-thinking company developed an ingenious solution to “garbage watching.”

Trash Removal in the Digital Age

In 1991, long before the Internet of Things was on anyone’s radar, OnePlus Systems saw technology as an answer to the problem of smelly, overflowing dumpsters. Their first model was a rudimentary wired pressure sensor that alerted a client’s operations department as well as their waste removal company that a pick-up was needed.

The next step included integration of a web-based platform to provide reporting and leverage waste data. In 2015, private equity company Parker Gale recognized the system’s potential and purchased OnePlus along with SmartBin, a Dublin, Ireland-based manufacturer of intelligent waste disposal solutions.

Under Parker Gale’s direction, the original system began using SmartBin’s wireless ultrasonic fill-level sensors and robust routing and analysis software. Thanks to these “smart” devices and their sophisticated platform, clients receive real-time data and visual tracking of non-compacting dumpsters.

Benefits of Smart Dumpsters

• Waste removal companies get optimized routing so they can focus the workload on full containers.

• Collected data shows that a smart dumpster can reduce waste removal expenses by up to 50 percent.

• Clients can allocate labor to higher priority jobs.

Reduce Expenses and Workplace Injuries with a Dumpster Puller from DJ Products

Are your employees constantly struggling with maneuvering heavy dumpsters in the workplace? Our best-selling WasteCaddyLite is designed to safely transport full dumpsters weighing up to 2,000 pounds.

Call 800.686.2651 or visit our website to find out which battery-powered dumpster puller is the best solution for your workplace.

Prevent Dumpster Hazards With Our Tips

Dumpster Safety Tips Include Using a Dumpster Mover.

The expression “dumpster fire” often gets thrown around as a humorous metaphor, but a real dumpster fire is no joke. Lives can be lost and buildings burnt to rubble when a dumpster catches fire and acts like an enormous torch.

Besides fire hazards, dumpsters can also lead to muscle injuries for workers, slip-and-fall accidents, and general health hazards from fumes or chemicals.

Here are 5 tips to eliminate most sources of dumpster hazards:

Post signs and educate workers about hazardous waste. Learn what substances that are present on site may be combustible, toxic, or corrosive. Let employees and tenants know what items cannot be placed in the dumpster, and post dumpster warning signs.
Never transport dumpsters manually. Dumpsters can easily tip over when being moved, lifted, or tilted. The weight may not be distributed evenly inside the dumpster. Use motorized dumpster tugs to push the container smoothly, especially on rough or inclined ground.
Keep dumpsters locked or inaccessible when possible. Trespassers or unauthorized people may deposit hazardous waste intentionally or otherwise. Dumpster divers may leave broken glass, sharp metal, or other hazards on the ground.
Prohibit smoking near dumpsters. Cigarette butts, lighter fluid, and other combustible substances are often the cause of dumpster fires.
Empty dumpsters regularly. Overfilled dumpsters create spill and tripping hazards. The extra weight also makes it more dangerous to maneuver. Use automated equipment like dumpster tugs and self-emptying systems, and stick to a frequent removal schedule.

Do you have team members who need to tow a dumpster manually? Take care of this big injury concern with battery-powered dumpster tugs that are easy to control!

Garbage and Dumpster Safety – It’s Your Job!

Safety in the Trash Room is Everyone’s Job!

Do you leave trash room and dumpster safety to your garbage removal service? It’s up to you to maintain a safe environment for everyone, whether they work for you or an outside company.

Be Proactive About Garbage and Dumpster Safety

Here are four tips to create a safe workplace that allows for efficient trash disposal.

1. Keep Dumpsters and Other Receptacles Free and Clear

If people have to run an obstacle course to get to the trash receptacles, the chances of injury are high. Make sure both indoor and outdoor containers are easily accessible.

2. Don’t Overfill Trash Receptacles

Overflowing dumpsters present an attractive home for mice, squirrels and other pests. If your trash containers fill up too quickly, consider adding more receptacles or getting larger ones.

3. Break Down Large Items

Boxes should never be tossed into a dumpster without being broken down or flattened first. Any large items such as furniture or equipment should also be broken down as much as possible or set aside for immediate pickup.

4. Maintain the Pavement

Can your garbage area support the regular stress and strain of a heavy trash removal truck? Damaged pavement can quickly become a safety risk. Make sure any cracks and holes are repaired promptly.

Maximize Safety with a Dumpster Puller from DJ Products

Many costly workplace injuries are due to overexertion as a result of pushing and pulling heavy objects such as loaded dumpsters. Visit our website to find out why clients consider a dumpster puller like our popular WasteCaddyLite to be “like having another employee on staff.”

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