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Category Archives: Safety Tips

Quick Reminders Regarding Your Curbside Trash & Recycling Services During the Winter Months

Posted January 11, 2022

Cold, winter weather is here which brings a new set of challenges & safety concerns for our team members. To ensure your trash & recycling gets collected, please keep the following in mind when placing your items curbside.

Dark trash bags are easier for our employees to see. White trash bags blend in with the snow. If you have a darker colored trash bag that you could use or a trash can that you can place your bag in, it will make it easier for our employees to see ensuring that your trash gets collected.

Check for schedule changes. When there are service interruptions that effect the majority of our customers, we will post updates on social media, our website, and send out email blasts.

Know when to place your bins at the curb. Customers should refrain from placing bins at the curb before snowfall or while snowing to avoid the possibility of bins either getting buried or knocked over.

Cover the openings of bins. Customers should cover the openings of their bins so that snow doesn’t add unnecessary weight. Open bins filled with snow and waste or recyclables could injure collection workers.

Shovel out spaces for bins and shovel out buried bins / bulk items. To make for easy, quick and safe collection, customers should shovel out spaces for their bins, shovel them out if they get buried in snow, and shovel out any bulk items that freeze to the ground.

Pick up bins that have been knocked over. If bins happen to get knocked over by snowplows, customers should pick them up and place them back at the curb.

Safety is our number one priority. If you have children who are playing in the snow, please be mindful of them playing close to the streets as visibility may be impaired due to weather conditions.

Slow Down Before You Go Around. If you are behind a trash or recycling truck, please make sure you slow down before you go around. Check for traffic coming in the opposite direction before going around the truck and make sure you look for our employees before trying to pass.

Thank you for working with us to help keep our employees safe!

Clean & Green – Safe Spring Cleaning Tips

Posted March 14, 2021

Warmer weather is right around the corner. We’re just as excited as you are! During this time, many people like to do some spring cleaning. We’ve compiled a list of resources for you to check out before you place everything in the trash.

Many items can be recycled, reused, or donated to a local non-profit. More dangerous items, such as household hazardous waste items, pose a serious safety risk for our employees so you cannot place them in your curbside trash and recycling bins.

Please review the below tips and follow your own municipality’s guidelines when spring cleaning. Click here to view our Municipality Resource Page and select your municipality for more specific information regarding your guidelines.

Items You Can Recycle

Penn Waste accepts the following items through your curbside recycling program:

  1. Clean and empty plastic bottles and containers with #s 1, 2 and 5 on the bottom.
  2. Clean and empty glass bottles and jars.
  3. Clean and empty milk cartons.
  4. Clean and flattened cardboard.
  5. Clean and dry newspaper.
  6. Clean and dry steel and aluminum cans.

These are the ONLY items that should go in your curbside recycling container.

*If you live in Lancaster County, please follow Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority’s BIG 4 Recycling Guidelines.

How to Properly Dispose of Electronic Waste

In Pennsylvania, certain electronics are restricted by law from being disposed of in the trash due to the toxic metals they contain. As a result, electronic waste cannot be collected curbside by Penn Waste. Please contact your county Solid Waste Authority to see if they have a drop-off program.

Some examples of electronic waste are: computers, computer peripherals (keyboards, mouse, printer, etc.), computer monitors, and televisions.

How to Properly Dispose of Household Hazardous Waste

Household hazardous waste is considered any products that are flammable, can react, or explode under certain circumstances. For this reason, they cannot go in your curbside trash and recycling bins. We experience countless truck fires every year due to hazardous waste NOT being properly disposed of. For this reason, please contact your county Solid Waste Authority to see if they have a drop-off program.

Examples of household hazardous waste are: Driveway sealant, flammable materials, fluorescent bulbs, tube lights and lighting ballasts, garden chemicals, household cleaners, mercury containing devices and liquid mercury, photographic chemicals, pool chemicals, rechargeable batteries and vehicle fluids.

Appliances & Appliances Containing Freon

Appliances that do not contain Freon can be placed with your curbside trash. If the appliance does not fit in your trash container, it will be considered a bulk item. Please check your municipality resource page to see if bulk item collection is a service you have. All bulk items must be able to be lifted by two people. Items that are too heavy to be lifted by two people will not be collected.

Please call Penn Waste at 717-767-4456 to schedule removal of any appliances containing Freon. Some examples are: refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, and water coolers.

Paint Cans

Empty paint cans should be placed in your bagged trash, then placed in your trash container, due to the amount of paint residue that will be on them. If you’re not sure how to dispose of your half-empty paint cans, we recommend the following:

  1. Consider donating your paint to a community center, charity, place of worship, local theater or Habitat for Humanity ReStore. They’re often working on projects with a limited budget and could use the extra supplies.
  2. Harden the paint by adding equal parts cat litter to the paint in the can. Stir the cat litter into the paint until it thickens and won’t spill. Allow the mixture to sit for one hour before placing in your bagged trash. ***There are weight limits on your trash container and they vary by municipality. A good rule of thumb is your trash container should never weigh more than 50 lbs. Keep this in mind since hardened paint becomes very heavy.

Clothing

Clothing should never be placed in your curbside recycling bin. The materials get wrapped around the processing equipment at our recycling facility, causing it to jam up and break. Many non-profits such as Salvation Army, Goodwill, and consignment shops accept used clothing for donation. As a last resort, clothing can be placed in your curbside trash container.

Additional Resources

If you have something else that does not fit into the above categories, we recommend checking the website Earth911.com for additional resources for disposal. You can also check with your county solid waste authority or the vendor you originally purchased the item from.

Lastly, before you throw something in the trash, take a moment to consider if there’s anyone else in your community who might be able to use what you’re about to throw away. Many non-profits accept donated household goods, clothing, appliances, furniture, and more.

Happy Spring Cleaning!

5 Winter Weather Reminders to Help Keep You & Our Employees Safe

Posted December 20, 2020

Resources for Getting Rid of Hazardous Waste

Posted May 6, 2020

Do you have hazardous waste but you’re not sure how to get rid of it? Click on this link to download our Hazardous Waste Resource Guide.

Hazardous waste is considered pool chemicals, lithium batteries (rechargeable batteries), hot ashes, live ammunition and propane tanks.

Proper Disposal of Hot Ashes

Posted October 14, 2019

It is important to keep safety in mind when handling hot ashes from wood stoves, fireplaces and fire pits. Hot ashes can cause major safety issues for not only you, but for our employees as well.

Hot ashes and coals from fires can remain hot enough to start fires for many hours or even days after a fire is out. The amount of time it takes for hot ashes to cool depends on many factors, some of which include how hot the fire was, what was burning, how much unburned fuel remains if fuel was used, etc. Please keep all of these factors in mind when disposing of hot ashes.

In order to properly dispose of the hot ashes, here are some tips to keep in mind:

  • If possible, allow ashes to cool in the area where you had the fire for several days. These areas are designed to contain their heat safely.
  • When it is time to dispose of ashes, test to ensure the hot ashes are cool by placing them in a cardboard box or paper bag before disposal. In this situation, never leave these ashes unattended until they are cool enough for disposal. If the ashes are too hot, they will begin to burn through the box or bag.
  • Transfer the cool ash to a plastic bag and then tie it shut. This will ensure any dust from the bagged ashes does not get into our employees’ eyes or lungs.
  • Do NOT put any ashes in a trash container. They should be left on the ground beside your trash container. By sitting them outside of the cart, we can confirm the ashes are NOT hot before placing them in the truck.
  • NEVER  dispose of hot ashes with yard waste material. By placing ashes with yard waste, such as tree trimmings and leaves, the potential for fires increase substantially

Safe Disposal of Toilets

Posted September 16, 2019

Toilets may not be something you initially think of as being a safety hazard to our team members but they are when not placed at the curb properly! In the last few weeks, we’ve seen an influx of cracked or broken toilets being placed curbside. They are collected as trash but we would like to encourage all of our residents to either place them out in two pieces (as shown in the photo below) or sit the cracked pieces out separately. Please do not place any cracked pieces back together so the toilet is sitting curbside looking as if it is not broken. Toilets should be placed curbside in two pieces when disposing of them – the tank and the seat should be taken apart.

We’ve had multiple instances where our team members pick up a toilet and the cracked, porcelain pieces fall apart as they are loading it into the truck. Broken porcelain is extremely sharp and toilets are dirty. These incidents have resulted in lacerations to our team members legs requiring stitches.

As always, thanks for helping us keep our team members safe!

 

Do NOT Place Pool Chemicals in Your Trash & Recycling Bins!

Posted August 29, 2019

Penn Waste would like to issue a reminder to residents in south central Pennsylvania that pool chemicals should NOT be disposed of in your curbside trash and recycling bins. Pool chemicals are considered hazardous waste and need to be disposed of properly. Scroll down to learn more.

The Problem

As noted by the EPA, pool chemicals are hazardous because when they mix with a small quantity of water or are improperly mixed, such as with other chemicals or reactive materials, they can ignite causing fires. They can also cause skin irritation and release toxic vapors.

Many pool chemicals are highly reactive and capable of generating high temperatures which will start fires. Reactivity may be triggered by water wetting the chemical or by the inadvertent mixing of pool chemicals with an incompatible material.

When pool chemicals are disposed of in the trash or recycling, there is a high risk of them reacting because they will come in contact with other liquids in our trucks. Rain, high humidity, and other general liquids disposed of in your trash and recycling can cause the pool chemicals to react when they get collected by our truck resulting in a truck fire (as seen in the above photo).

The Solution
Do not place pool chemicals in your trash and recycling! Here are several options for getting rid of pool chemicals:

  1. Take them to a facility that handles hazardous waste. Make sure you check with your local solid waste authority to see if they accept pool chemicals prior to arriving.
  • York County Solid Waste Authority – Click here
  • Lancaster County Solid Waste Authority – Click here
  • Dauphin County Solid Waste Authority – Click here 
  • Cumberland County Solid Waste Authority – Click here
  1. Check with the pool store you originally bought them from to see if they have a disposal method.
  1. Donate them to a community pool or your neighbors who have pools.
  2. Shock your pool by dumping the left over pool chemicals in before you close it for the season.

We appreciate your help in keeping our team members safe!

How to Properly Dispose of Ashes

Posted September 19, 2018

With the cooler weather of fall upon us, everyone’s breaking out their fire pits and roasting s’mores! It’s important to keep safety in mind when sitting around the fire and when the fire is done. Hot ashes can cause major safety issues for not only you, but for our employees as well. 

Hot ashes and coals from fires can remain hot enough to start fires for many hours or even days after a fire is out. The amount of time it takes for hot ashes to cool depends on many factors, some of which include how hot the fire was, what was burning, how much un-burned fuel remains if fuel was used, etc. Please keep all of these factors in mind when disposing of hot ashes.

In order to properly dispose of the hot ashes, here are some tips to keep in mind:

  • If possible, allow ashes to cool in the area where you had the fire for several days. These areas are designed to contain their heat safely.
  • When it is time to dispose of ashes, test to ensure the hot ashes are cool by placing them in a cardboard box or paper bag before disposal. In this situation, never leave these ashes unattended until they are cool enough for disposal. If the ashes are too hot, they will begin to burn through the box or bag.
  • DO NOT dispose of hot ashes with yard waste material. By placing ashes with yard waste, such as tree trimmings and leaves, the potential for fires increase substantially.

Please keep these tips in mind when disposing of ashes this fall.

Do Not Put Medical Waste in the Recycle Bin!

Posted March 5, 2018

As part of our initiative to keep a safe work environment for our employees, please watch the video below for more information on how to properly dispose of medical waste.

Collection Update: Inclement Weather 3/14/17

Posted March 13, 2017

Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 – Due to the impending inclement weather, all Penn Waste collection routes will be cancelled on Tuesday, March 14th, 2017. (more…)

Medical Waste Disposal

Posted March 10, 2017

In 2016, Penn Waste received over 500 pounds of medical waste at our recycling facility! This is a public safety hazard for our team members who manually sort through the recycling, putting them at risk of getting stuck by a needle.

Medical waste is defined as potentially infectious waste materials generated at health care facilities. These facilities include but are not limited to hospitals, clinics, physician’s offices, dental practices, blood banks, and veterinary hospitals/clinics, as well as medical research facilities and laboratories. Also included is at home treatment materials, such as syringes and other material used for medical treatment. Whether the material is used or brand new, to eliminate any safety hazard with our employees, we recommend that these items are disposed of in the proper manner.

Medical waste needs to be properly disposed of in the TRASH. We recommend placing any used needles in a heavy plastic container (laundry detergent bottles, coffee containers, etc.). This will ensure that the needles will not stick any of our employees during collection. In order to ensure that the lid will not open, please consider taping the lid to the container. BE SURE to place these materials in your trash bag or can. This will ensure that the material will be taken to one of our waste disposal sites and not taken to our recycling facility.

Please help us keep our team members safe!

Reminders for Winter Weather

Posted January 21, 2016

Winter is here and bad weather is in the forecast over the next few days. In order to prepare for the inclement weather, below are several winter reminders to ensure your safety, the safety of our employees and that your trash and recycling gets collected. (more…)

Driving Safety Tips

Posted November 19, 2015

Slow Down To Get Around LogoWorking in the Waste and Recycling Collection field annually ranks as one of the deadliest jobs in America. Many of these fatal accidents can be prevented by simply engaging in a few safe driving techniques.

Safety is our top priority at Penn Waste. In order to ensure that our employees are able to work in a safe environment, we ask drivers to follow these key tips when around any waste or recycling collection vehicle. (more…)