Need More Personal Responsibility For Alley Trash

This photo looks down the alley between the 600 block of S. Laurel and S.Cherry.
Trash and recycling trucks already went through on Wednesday. This photo was from after that.

Dear landlords and tenants,

The citizens of Richmond need you to take more responsibility for your refuse. I know some of you think that taxes are only good for two things, fire protection and refuse collection, but the truth is that OUR taxes also pay for things like police, schools, parks, etc. When the City spends all of its money picking up at the end of your leases, it can take away from other priorities.

While I appreciate efforts to improve the City’s services, you have a personal responsibility to make a point of either taking your excess to the dump, or, at the very least, scheduling a ‘bulk refuse’ pickup with the City. Just leaving it out in the alley, no matter how neatly, is not the neighborly thing to do. Let’s do better.

http://www.richmondgov.com/PublicWorks/RefuseCollection.aspx

Trash/Recycling Pickup Tomorrow

This Wednesday is a “Red Wednesday”, which means trash and recycling pickup. Ideally, rolling recycling containers are stored and deployed in the back alleys along with trash cans. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night.

If you have not done so already, don’t forget to sign up for your Recycling Perks.
In order to take your recycling to the next level, read this: 10 ways to improve your recycling.

In recycling news, a Call2Recycle campaign spotlights battery recycling safety:

Call2Recycle has launched a new safety portal, a one-stop hub of safety information on how to safely recycle and ship batteries. Collection site employees and consumers will be able to take an online training module that tests their battery handling knowledge. Instructions for handling damaged, defective and recalled batteries also are featured. Additional safety policies for collection sites, sorters and processors are being implemented, the group says. Organizations that do not follow the policies may be suspended or terminated from the program.

“As the volume and types of batteries in the marketplace expand, so do the risks for an incident,” adds Smith. “Rechargeable batteries can hold a residual charge, and when they come into contact with another metal they can cause a spark, which can escalate into a fire or explosion. At the highest risk are the lithium ion rechargeable batteries found in many of today’s portable devices such as cellphones, laptops, tablets and power tools.”

Smith continues, “Preventing accidents can be as simple as educating people to take the time to simply bag or tape each battery prior to dropping it off in the recycling box or before a box is shipped. Charge Up Safety is about continually assessing and enhancing our safety and compliance practices to ensure new safety policies are being embraced across our collection and recycling network.”