Celebrate Waste Collector Appreciation Day

Our waste collectors help keep our streets clean all year round. Last year they collected 245,046 tonnes of residential waste from 396,876 households, twice as heavy as Toronto's CN Tower! Safe, clean communities depend on the hard work that our waste collectors do on a daily basis.

As part of North American Waste Collector week, the City will celebrate our waste collectors at a free family event this Sunday at Compost 'S cool.

Date: Sunday, June 16
Time: 1 to 4 p.m.
Location: Compost 'S cool (near Fort Edmonton Park)
Cost: Free

Come chat with a waste collector, check out a garbage truck, make thank you cards and learn how to help keep your collectors safe and one time.

Visit edmonton.ca/wastecollections

The A,B,Cs of a Great Back Alley Display by MCR Patti D.

I live in an older area with neighbours who frequently walk their dogs through the back alleys.  My MCR personal project was to create a back alley display about waste reduction.  How hard can that be, I thought?

• Go to the dollar store. 
• Get a display board. 
• Create signage about waste reduction. 
• Put the signs in page protectors. 
• Change the signs each week. 
• Start conversations. 

Voila – my 35 volunteer MCR hours are filled in no time!

Challenge 1:  Rain.  The display board from the dollar store was not waterproof.  After the first heavy rain, it was destroyed. Although I must note that there were pieces remaining around the screws that I had used to attach the display board to the fence...

Solution:  I spent $5 more and purchased composite wood board from Home Depot.  The sales clerk assured me it should last at least 2 years.

Challenge 2:  Wind.  I placed the signs on the board one day and proudly went out the next morning to inspect them.  All the signs were missing. I later located all the signs down the alley.

Solution:  I stopped using thumb tacks and used heavy duty staples to tack the signs to the board.

Challenge 3:  Wind AND Rain:  I placed the signs in page protectors with the openings at the bottom – smart eh?  The rain will not move upwards!  Wind will actually move the rain upwards and the page protectors did not help against rain.  The beautifully coloured signs looked like runny rainbows displayed in plastic envelopes.

 I’m VERY pleased to report that once I decided to use quality products, my back alley display was in much better shape.  

Solution:  Ordered expensive self-laminating sheets from Staples.  All signs are laminated front and back before they are stapled to the composite wood board.

Challenge 4:  Procrastination.  I blame it on loss of momentum.  I spent three weeks working on solutions to the first three challenges. Once I got those sorted out, I found that my enthusiasm for this project diminished.  I found other stuff to do over the summer and my signs were NOT changed once a week.  

Solution:  There is no solution; I am a procrastinator.  Regardless, I’m very proud of the signs I have created to date AND -  now that I have worked out solutions - it’s a simple matter to create a new sign, laminate it and place it in my Back Alley Display.

Challenge 5:  Conversations.  This did not spark as many conversations as I’d hoped.  In my dreams, I had people coming up to me, eager to take in the knowledge that I had to give. I had one neighbour admit to me that she did not compost as if it was a dirty little secret. Another asked me to come by her place to discuss garbage versus composting. I had hoped for a lot more interaction.  

 A compost mentor lives here. Talk to me if you need compost help. 

Solution:  The feedback I’ve received from other neighbours tells me that they ARE reading my signs; one neighbor walked by and I heard him explain to his son what grasscycling is.  Through the signs, people in my neighbourhood have started to think about waste reduction.  Here’s to my next six months!

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Patti loves Edmonton and wants to help make it an even better place to live. She is now worm composting and started her first outdoor compost, this year. She has enjoyed sharing her knowledge with her neighbours at their annual block party. She keeps a box in her basement to store old batteries and light bulbs. When it's full, they take a trip to the Eco Station.

WasteWise Spring Cleaning

It's time for indoor and outdoor spring cleaning, and the City of Edmonton is encouraging residents to be waste wise by following some handy tips.

Cleaning inside the house?

• Recycle empty plastic jugs and spray bottles. 
• Cardboard paper towel cores are recyclable, but the used paper towel goes in the garbage.
• Drop off electronics, paint, batteries, lightbulbs, and corrosive or hazardous cleaning products, such as oven cleaners at an Eco Station for FREE
• Large items such as sofas, mattresses, tables can be taken to an Eco Station. A small fee applies.
• Consider reuse!
  Donate items you no longer need to a charity, or pass them on to a family or friend. Check the Reuse Directory to see what can be donated where.
  

Cleaning your yard?

• Leaves and lawn thatch can be set out in a black garbage bag. Keep your bag light; help your collector by keeping your bags under 15 kilograms.
• Tie your branches and brunsh into small bundles no more than 1.2 metres in length, and weighing no more than you can easily lift.
• Put your broken garden hose in the garbage, not the recycling. It can jam machinery at the recycling sorting plant.
• If you waste is collected in the alley, be sure to trim overhanging tree branches to allow easy access for garbage trucks.

Not sure where an item should go? Download our free WasteWise app on your phone or visit edmonton.ca/waste.

Eco Stations are open Saturday and Monday, 9 am to 6:30 pm, closed Friday and Sunday, over the Easter  long weekend. For Eco Station locations and regular hours of operation, visit edmonton.ca/ecostations.

Make sure you set out your waste by 7 am on your collection day. Due to heavier waste volumes in the spring, your waste may be collected earlier than in the winter time.

Showcasing the Newest Collection Trucks

With so many cities moving toward automated collection, it's become hard to purchase collection trucks that are easy and safe to operate for hand collectors. So, collectors are excited to show off the newest trucks in Edmonton's collection fleet.

Two collectors watching a demonstration of a new collection vehicle.

Collectors place garbage in the yellow bucket, and then use an automated arm to lift and dump the garbage into the truck's compactor compartment. The low height of the bucket is better for the repetitive lifting and throwing that our collectors do, and is expected to reduce the strain on collectors.

The driver operates the arm from within the cab of the truck.

The new trucks are shorter than our current vehicles, making them easier to maneuver in alleys, parking lots, and other tight spaces, but they still carry the same volume of waste. Multiple cameras will help the driver see more and stay safe. The driver also sits higher, which improves visibility. 

In addition to being better for collectors, these trucks would provide a smooth transition to automated collection if that occurs in the future. The bucket can be easily switched out for the proper attachment to pick up bins. 

Collectors are currently training on one of these trucks, with 13 more on order.

Old vs. New

• These automated trucks are about one metre shorter than the manual collection trucks, so they can be used in narrower spaces.
• The new trucks have five cameras for safety, rather than the single rear-view camera on the current trucks.
• The new trucks cost a little more than the current manual collection trucks. But, the new trucks offer more versatility, enhanced safety features, and speedier waste collection.

Photographs provided by the City of Edmonton

 

Icy Conditions - Make It Safe

Recent freeze/thaw weather and freezing rain over the past two weeks have resulted in extremely hazardous conditions on Edmonton's walkways and sidewalks. These treacherous conditions are a safety concern for everyone - particularly for those with limited mobility, waste collectors, and other service providers. Over the past two weeks, bylaw officers have investigated more than 2,600 complaints for snow and ice on sidewalks.

The City of Edmonton is reminding owners to keep sidewalks, walkways, and waste collection areas free of ice ans snow. The City encourages citizens to use sand or ice-melting products. Courtesy sand boxes can be found at many local community centres. Although these courtesy sand boxes are topped up regularly, demand often exceeds supply. When this occurs, citizens are encouraged to buy sand or ice-melting products at their local department or hardware store.

For a listing of courtesy sand box locations, please visit community sandboxes.

Concerned about summer weight? Your collector is!

Growing season is at its peak and as a result the City’s waste collectors are dealing with high volumes of yard waste in addition to the usual household garbage. On a typical summer day, a collector picks up an average of 3000 bags of garbage from more than 700 homes. That’s about 22,000 kgs of garbage – the equivalent of lifting about 27 smart cars a day! Grass clippings are the biggest contributor to waste volumes this time of year. Residents are encouraged to Go Bagless and leave the grass clippings on the lawn while mowing. It helps reduce waste, promotes healthy lawns, and reduces the number of heavy bags lifted by collectors. For the safety of collectors, the City is reminding residents to please keep each garbage can or bag under 20 kilograms (44 pounds). Brush and tree trimmings should also be below this weight limit, bundled, securely tied, and no longer than 1.2 m (four feet). For more information about waste collection please visit edmonton.ca/wastecollection.

Is The Path To Your Trash Safe?

Slips and falls during the winter are a common cause of waste collector and pedestrian injuries, and they can be prevented with the help of residents.

Waste collectors work 10-hour shifts, getting in and out trucks to lift 20-kilogram garbage bags all day. Maneuvering on slippery ice makes their job more challenging and even dangerous.

The City of Edmonton thanks residents for playing their part in keeping collectors safe and reminds them of simple things they can do to help:

• Clear snow from collection area/garbage stands and spread sand on icy surfaces.
• Put bags/cans on level ground and as close to the street or alley as possible, not on top of windrows and snow piles.
• Avoid placing waste on slippery areas near downspouts and sump pump discharge pipes.

Residents with front street pick-up are asked to park vehicles off the street on their collection day. Vehicles parked on the street force collectors to carry heavy cans and bags greater distances.

Under Edmonton’s Community Standards bylaw, homeowners have to clear ice and snow from sidewalks right down to the pavement within 48 hours of a snowfall.

For more information about waste collection please visit edmonton.ca/wastecollection.

It's Snow Joke for Waste Collectors

Snow is falling, and so could waste collectors as the collection of garbage and recycling becomes increasingly challenging with hazardous winter conditions.

Falls due to slippery waste collection sites are a common cause of collector injuries.


Residents can help make the job safer for their collectors.
What can we do to help? click here