Waste management companies in California—and all across the U.S—have seen an uptick in residential trash volumes these past two months.
As noted by Mary Hartley, communications specialist for Waste Management of Southern California, “With most communities we serve under stay-at-home orders, we've seen a significant increase in residential container weights.” At its peak in April, she observes that, “the residential line of business had a 25 percent increase in the amount of waste disposed.”
So now, as customers have spring cleaning on their minds, Waste Management is encouraging them to “incorporate waste reduction and environmentally-friendly practices,” such as choosing durable and reusable cleaning rags instead of paper towels and upcycling large items such as chairs to create something new rather than contribute even more to the waste stream.
The company has also issued several reminders including the fact that hazardous materials are not accepted in trash and recycling pick-ups, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should be placed in the trash (not recycling).