Recycling in Hamilton high-rise apartment buildings

Proven recycling methods

Hamilton is growing everyday and the number of residents recycling is too. The city wants to keep at least 65 per cent of all waste out of the landfill. Recycling efforts are needed by all residents. Hamilton high-rise apartment buildings and multi-residential buildings already account for about one-third of all city dwelling units. Hamilton high-rise apartment buildings use large blue bins for recycling purposes. Apartment dwellers are encouraged to sort trash. Above all, tenants should separate their glass, metals, paper and leftover food. Recycling in Hamilton high-rise apartment buildings can be achieved if every tenant participates toward the common cause. Reduce, re-use and recycle. That is what we all must do to save our planet.

Trash disposal or compost bin?

Modern conveniences in modern apartments include a modern stove, refrigerator, dishwasher and even sometimes a garbage disposal. You can easily compost banana peels, corn husks, potato skins and other fibrous food scraps rather than grind them down with the motor of your disposal unit. Washing food waste down your sink can cause drain clogs and bad smells in your kitchen. Composting is a great way to make fertilizer for your plants. There are definitely pros and cons to having a garbage disposal in your kitchen sink. Green bin disposal offers an alternative. Not all food waste and vegatable scraps should be thrown in the regular garbage bin. Steady use of the green bin can help us prove that composting is good for the planet.

What about those Coffee Grounds?

Coffee grounds can easily clog your kitchen drain. Toss your coffee grounds in the garbage or compost bin. Above all, some food wastes such as pasta, rice or oatmeal can swell when water is added, as a result clog your kitchen drain pipes. Avoid putting any expandable foods in your disposal. This can lead to big problems in the long run with drain clogs and plugged sinks.

Grease, fats and oils

Grease and cooking oils such as bacon fat can cause major buildup when they turn back to a solid. Garbage disposals can deteriorate and the grinders will become slick with cut food scraps. Try to store all fats and oils in a resealable container. After they solidify, toss them in the trash. While some high-end garborators can handle bones, it significantly reduces their lifespan. For instance, by grinding up and liquifying food waste, your garbage disposal may develop large clumps of debris in them. Sometimes it is difficult to prevent food waste from collecting in your pipes and then creating food clogs. Regular cleaning is suggested to avoid odors.

Why superintendents and property managers recycle?

Save the planet. Residents of Hamilton high-rise apartment buildings can do their part to reduce the amount of material that goes to the landfill. Landlords should advise tenants on how to properly sort and dispose of waste products. Property managers should maintain the interior and exterior garbage and recycling areas. Building managers should always replace broken bins or carts whenever necessary. Proper equipment will help reinforce the overall importance of your building’s recycling program. Landlords should regularly give the recycling bins a good interior cleaning. As a result, help reduce odours and pests from gathering in your waste bins.

One of the biggest challenges faced by multi-residential units is the improper sorting of recyclable materials. This can be the result of confusion about what goes where. To avoid this problem be sure there is plenty of information and signage for tenants to see. This will help avoid the natural convenience people take by dumping all materials into one recycling bin.

Contamination is another challenge people face in terms of recycling in Hamilton high-rise apartment buildings. Contamination happens when non-recyclable materials end up in the recycling bin. This can ruin an entire load, as a result, your recycling will be left on the curb.

Whereabouts in the city do you live?

Complexes with several buildings may find recycling programs difficult. Apartment buildings in some areas have high turnover rates. New people must be informed about the buildings recycling policies. Properties can differ in the way they operate. All tenants and landlords must be familiar with the city’s recycling program requirements. There are steps you can take to minimize barriers and improve your building’s recycling program:

Organize and group your recycling carts collectively. All compost carts together, plastics container carts together, glass bottles separated and all paper and cardboard carts together too.

Ensure nothing is blocking access to the carts.

Each bin should have a label.

Use proper recycling bins.

Promote recycling in your building.

Place your recycling on the curb for 7 a.m. on your collection day.

What can be recycled?

It can be tricky to know which 8materials are recyclable and non-recyclable and how to dispose of them properly. Therefore, read this list carefully :

Acceptable Materials

Plastic and Metal

Plastic water, juice and pop bottles

Tin and aluminum food and beverage cans

Clean aluminum foil

Plastic tubs and lids

Clamshell trays

Plastic jugs

Empty aerosol and paint cans

White packing Styrofoam

These items go in your Containers Cart:

Papers and Fibres

Mixed paper, like office paper, flyers and envelopes

Tetra Pak cartons

Cereal and cracker boxes

Newspapers

Magazines and phone books

Hardcover and paperback books

Grocery bags, snack bags, and paper liners

These items go in your Fibres Cart:

Cardboard

Corrugated cardboard

Corrugated cardboard goes in the bin if your building has one. Flatten boxes. Bundle and place between carts or bins.

Glass

Glass food and beverage bottles and jars

Bottles and glass jars should be put in the blue box.

There are many simple steps you can take to make recycling easy and convenient. Return empty bottles and cans to the Beer Store for a deposit refund. Sort as you go. Keeping your plastics and papers separate when you dispose of them will allow you to easily empty your boxes or bags into the correct bins in your building’s recycling depot. Recycling in Hamilton high-rise apartment buildings is the way to go. Help reduce the amount of waste going into landfill sites. Help keep the environment clean for the future. Our children can inherit a better planet.

HAZARDOUS AND ELECTRONIC WASTE ARE NOT ACCEPTED IN THE BLUE BOX.

Hazardous waste includes items such as cleaning products, cooking oil, windshield washer fluid, paint, pesticides, and batteries. Electronic waste includ8es items such as computers, printers, phones, speakers, and TVs. Never include hazardous waste like solvents, paint or oil in either your rubbish or recycling bins. Therefore, these items should be disposed of separately.

Clean your containers

Rinse the food and any other matter off of cardboard items. Crush and fold cardboard boxes to create more room. When preparing paper cardboard for recycling make sure you break down the larger boxes. Cut them up instead of compacting them. This can save more space. For garden and compost waste collect with a small container and transfer to a larger green bin. Be sure to crush any bottles. Take the lids off first. Use green boxes for food waste. Food waste should be placed in a green bin for collection. Be sure to have your disposal bins curbside at the right time for pickup. Check for any contamination of the bins when curbside.

Blue Box recycling in Hamilton high-rise apartment buildings

Hamilton has a two stream recycling system, so you will need at least 2 blue recycling boxes for proper sorting. Put all your bottles, cans, cartons and jars into one blue box and put all your paper and cardboard into a different blue box. Blue boxes are used for putting out recycling. Weekly pick up every week. Place used tissues and napkins in the garbage, rather than the green bin. Where possible, use liner bags in the green bin. This makes for easier food waste disposal.

In conclusion, recycling in Hamilton high-rise apartment buildings is very important. Waste and landfills have a huge negative impact on the natural environment. Recycling is the process of recovering scrap or waste and reprocessing the material into useful products. Glass, paper, plastic, and metals such as aluminum and steel are all commonly recycled. Dead plants, fruit and vegetable scraps can be recycled through composting. Recycling helps to reduce the pollution caused by waste.

There is simply too much plastic waste in the environment today. By making plastics completely recyclable and transforming waste into new plastic items and other products, we can all help Canada realize its goal of zero plastic waste in the very near future. Beneficial to all.