Madison Park

Garbage Juice Anyone?

Garbage Juice Anyone?

Garbage Juice Anyone? One-fourth cup of spoiled milk; a splash of grass drippings; and a touch of rain water mixed with applesauce, gravy from last night's dinner, and a hint of vanilla ice cream from dessert. Mix it all together and you have the newest beverage craze sweeping the Charlotte area – garbage juice. Wanna drink? Now that you're alert and a little grossed-out, let's talk about how garbage juice relates to your solid waste collection program. Garbage juice, and its horrid smell, are the result of leakage from yard waste and garbage trucks traveling Charlotte roads. In most instances, leakage comes from containers that have not been emptied or insulated; rain water that has seeped into rollout carts; or fermented (decomposing) yard waste. Here are a few tips to help you put an end to garbage juice in your neighborhood: • Be sure that all liquid materials are properly insulated during garbage preparation. For example, use kitty litter or newspaper to absorb grease (i.e. cooking oil) or other liquids placed in cans, jars, etc. This helps absorbs leakage if a container brakes during the collection process. • Solid Waste Services requires that bags of yard waste be left open. Customers using plastic garbage cans are also required to leave the cans open. Leaving bags and cans open prevents the yard waste from fermenting and allows drivers to collect yard waste efficiently. o Tip: Before placing yard waste at the curb consider composting. Composting is a natural alternative to managing waste. To learn more about composting visit www.wipeoutwaste.com • It's also important to follow proper guidelines for paint disposal. For latex-based paint disposal, pour the paint into a paper bag and add an absorbent material such as kitty litter or newspaper to speed drying. The paint can (with the lid off), and the dried paint can then be placed in the rollout cart. If oil-based paint has solidified in a closed can, it can also be disposed of, with the lid off, in the rollout cart. • Motor oil and a number of other household waste materials can also be recycled at local recycling facilities. For more information, visit www.wipeoutwaste.com. • Keep rollout cart lids closed so that when it rains, the inside of the cart and its contents won't get wet.