Garbage bins get used all across town for many important projects. You may see one next to a construction site, in front of a house during a home renovation or move, or even near a business preparing to open its doors to the public.
These garbage bins are a necessity when it comes to certain types of projects, since they provide a safe space for all sorts of garbage: this keeps a work area clean, as well as makes clean up a snap since a truck can come and just take the bin to a waste disposal site. Occasionally though, once these bins arrive at a waste disposal site, waste management specialists find all sorts of things inside the bins that shouldn’t be there.
If you are wondering what doesn’t belong in a garbage bin, then read ahead to find out!
A small disclaimer
Don’t concern yourself too much regarding what can or can’t be thrown into your garbage bin–there’s a good chance that most items you’re going to encounter are allowed inside of garbage bins.
Think of replacing your entire roof or tearing out your kitchen for a remodel: just about every piece that you need to get rid of is allowed to go in that garbage bin. After reading this, you’ll realize you don’t have to pick through all of your garbage to make sure it is garbage dump friendly. Instead, you basically need to memorize one basic rule about your garbage–does it qualify as hazardous waste or not?
What’s considered hazardous waste?
Hazardous waste materials are the primary things that end up in garbage bins that aren’t allowed to be there. Unfortunately, this not only is an inconvenience to waste disposal workers, it also is dangerous and in many cases illegal to dump hazardous materials into garbage bins.
Many things qualify as hazardous materials but you most likely encounter only a few of them in your everyday life. Ahead are the most common examples of materials that end up in the trash that should have gone elsewhere.
- First and most importantly is the propane tank. Many propane tanks end up in garbage bins, even though they are classified as a hazardous material. These are particularly dangerous to waste management employees since they can actually explode! Keep these out of the trash and look into proper disposal methods for propane tanks.
- Tires also end up in the trash. While these aren’t dangerous to employees, they cause an inconvenience since tires go through their own disposal and recycling process. Take your tires to a store that accepts them.
- The same goes for many chemicals, such as paints, oils and gases. All of these materials need to go to a hazardous waste depot, which is in many cases located on the same premises as a garbage dump. Contact your local government offices to learn more about where you can properly dispose of chemicals.
- One chemical you can’t dispose on your own, however, are refrigerants. These materials need to be removed from your car’s air conditioning system by a registered technician and disposed of properly by a professional.
Hopefully this quick guide will help you separate what can, and can’t, go into your garbage bins. Your local waste management workers, and the environment, will thank you for your effort.