Let's Talk Trash

Garbage in Our Oceans How did it All End Up There? It is not news that our oceans are filled with garbage and most of that is plastic which takes a long time to decay and it has affected wildlife and even our own lives.  The question is, how did it all get there?  There are many causes to this problem and I will go through those here.   Poor Waste Management Poor waste management is a big contributor to this issue.  Many countries that are poor have few ways of dealing with garbage effectively like we do in the United States.  They simply do not have the infrastructure to deal with all this garbage.  The countries that contribute the most pollution in our oceans are The Philippines, India, Malaysia, and China.  According to viborc.com, this is how much each country contributes to pollution in our oceans in metric tons!     Littering Littering is another big contributor to the large amount of pollution in our oceans.  This is not just som...

Recycling Buildings Deconstruction Back to Construction   I first heard about this method on NPR.  I always assumed that recycling was nearly impossible for buildings unless you are talking about metals or certain plastics.  I never thought about other materials such as shingles, the foundation, walls, and flooring.  In this blog, I will discuss how these materials can be recycled and the process it takes.  I will not go through every single part of the building.  That would take too long.

What is a Transfer Station?  When I hauled trash, I would get loaded at a transfer station.  I would drive my truck into a tunnel with a hole in the ceiling.  Trash would be dumped in by either a bulldozer, excavator, or both.  Loading could take minutes, depending on the volume of trash.  A transfer station is more commonly called a Material Recycling Facility or MRF.  There is a lot more to transfer stations than just garbage.  A lot of their operations also pertain to recycling.  They are banded together into bales and loaded onto trucks to go to recycling facilities. What are the Benefits to Transfer Stations? The benefits of using a Material Recycling Facility are: Reduction of transportation costs Reduction in greenhouse gases like vehicle exhaust Reduce landfill waste Remove hazardous waste

Who are the Garbage Men?  The Men and Women who Pick Up our Trash The men and women who pick up our garbage are some of the most hard working and dedicated people.  From the two men above, to those who drive roll offs, transfer trucks, or whatever, this job is far from easy.   According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of work fatalities of a garbage collector was 41.4 per 100,000 in 2023.  In comparison, truck drivers had a 26.8 fatalities per 100,000.      Despite those numbers, many men and women dedicate their lives to keeping America clean.  As I stated in a pervious blog, I hauled trash for four years and the people that I worked with were some of the most amazing people.  They were hard working and took pride in their job.  

  How Landfills Work Mountains of Garbage You may have seen them.  You see a random mountain in the middle of the countryside.  You may see trucks climbing these monolithic heaps and you could have seen a similar video above.  What you are seeing is a hydraulic tipping machine that lifts the trailer into the air an allows gravity to push the trash out of the back.  This is just one way trash is placed into the landfill.   Other ways are: Residential Trucks Photo from: routereadytrucks.com/ Roll Off Trucks   Photo from: www.dumpsters.com Dump Trucks Photo from: www.instagram.com/heritagetruckequipment There are other ways trash is transported to landfills, but the four above are the main ways.  For instance, trains bring in trash to certain landfills, but these are the most common ways trash is brought to the landfills. How Landfills are Started Photo from: www.theleafchronicle.com/ First, the land is purchased by a company or the land is owne...

  Let's Talk Trash Introductory Post Greetings and Happy New Year.  I hope this new year brings happiness and change  in your lives.   I am starting this blog because I have worked in the trash business for  about four years.  Although, I am no longer hauling trash to landfills, I still feel a  strong feeling about the industry and the impact it has on our lives today.