What are some things that go in the trash?

Trash It

• Plastic Bags – Shopping, grocery, garbage bags.
• Styrofoam – Packing materials, cups, containers.
• Clothing – Any form of clothing, including shoes.
• Paper Food Storage – Pizza boxes, takeout food containers, potato chip bags, candy wrappers, bread bags.
• Outside Materials – Logs, stumps, sticks, rocks, dirt.

What is the most common thing found in landfills?

According to the US EPA, the material most frequently encountered in MSW landfills is plain old paper, it sometimes accounts for more than 40 percent of a landfill’s contents. Newspapers alone can take up as much as 13 percent of the space in US landfills.

What is the most common item we throw away?

Take a look at some of the most common household items and how long it takes for them to break down in a landfill:

• Cigarette butts.
• Rubber shoe soles.
• Batteries.
• Light bulbs.
• Ink cartridges.
• Scrap metal. Time to decompose: Up to 500 years.
• Painted/treated wood. Time to decompose: 13 years.
• Tires. Time to decompose: 50-80 years.

What can go in the trash can?

Acceptable Materials

• Municipal Solid Waste. Non-hazardous household and commercial refuse.
• Appliances. Major appliances such as washers and dryers, water heaters, refrigerators are accepted for recycling.
• Tires.
• Construction and Demolition Materials.
• Clean Dirt.
• Clean Asphalt/Concrete.
• Mixed Inerts.
• Woodwaste and Greenwaste.

What do we throw away?

Over 32 percent by weight of what we throw away falls into the “organics” category (food waste, wood, and yard waste). The next largest category (26 percent) consists of paper products (cardboard, newsprint, office paper and compostable paper).

What do you throw away after one use?

11 ‘Disposable’ Items You Should Be Reusing

• Eyeglasses frames. If you like the frames you’re wearing and they’re in good shape, you don’t have to buy new ones when your prescription changes.
• Household cleanser bottles.
• Plastic containers.
• Gift bags.
• T-shirts.
• Toothbrushes.
• Plastic squeeze bottles.
• Printer paper.

What is the black trash can for?

The black can is for household garbage and non-organic materials such as plastic packaging, diapers, animal waste, etc. The material is sent to a Waste-to-Energy facility and is burned to make electricity.

What’s your favorite thing about emptying people’s trash?

“My favorite thing about emptying people’s trash is the ‘Raccoon Surprise’! You open the top of a can and stick your hand in to grab the bag, but instead grab a raccoon or two. I’ve saved a few of those cute little creatures.”

What was the coolest thing your dad found in the garbage?

He always found the coolest stuff thrown away! Mostly electronics like televisions and laptops. His dad would sell most of the stuff he found on Ebay. My friend had a Sony Dream System [an entertainment system set with speakers and a DVD/CD player] in his room that his dad found in the garbage.”

What are some of the most bizarre things you’ve found in your backyard?

Here are 12 of the most bizarre things homeowners have found in their backyards. “I was a garbage man while I attended community college and found a litter of puppies in someone’s garbage. I grabbed the garbage bag as I normally would and tossed it in the back of the truck.

How do you get a raccoon out of a trash can?

You open the top of a can and stick your hand in to grab the bag, but instead grab a raccoon or two. I’ve saved a few of those cute little creatures.” If a raccoon hiding in your trash can gives you the heebie-jeebies, don’t miss these exterminator nightmares that will make you cringe.