FAQ #4 - "What are the specific rules and procedures for garbage and recycling?"

This is the fourth in a series of "Frequently-Asked Questions" about life in The Esplanade. To see the complete list of FAQs, click HERE. Please consider submitting to this list of FAQs by writing a question, and then a corresponding article to answer the question.

By Dan Hardebeck

Updated as of March, 2019. This question was originally submitted by a reader in 2014. Since that time, I have updated this guide, as procedures have changed over the years.

First of all, it bears noting that following certain procedures for garbage and recycling benefits all residents. A former building manager once confided that he spent 30-40 minutes each day dealing with garbage and recycling issues that were the results of residents not following simple procedures. That time adds up to 10 hours a month that the building manager might put to better use. Also, following procedures for garbage and recycling saves money - the less that goes into the compactor and the garbage containers, the less we all spend on garbage pickups.

RECYCLING BASICS:
Recycle as much as possible, but be very careful not to put prohibited items in the bins, as the bins have been rejected numerous times. The chart below is new, as of 2019. Click on the chart to enlarge it. This new chart reflects that some of what we used to recycle is no longer accepted. Plastic bags and crinkly containers (for berries, etc.) are not recyclable in our building's bins. No lids of any kind; no plastic or paper cups, utensils, or straws. Also no shredded paper. All of these previously-recyclable items should now be bagged and put down the trash chute (see procedures for the chute in a separate section below).

Click on the chart above to enlarge.

OTHER RECYCLING PROCEDURES:

• If a recycling container is full, don't overfill it; there is a lot of time and effort involved in hand-emptying an overfilled container. The picture at right was taken when two other mixed recycling containers were less than half full.
• Flatten your corrugated cardboard boxes all the way and put them in the "cardboard only" container. If the cardboard containers are full, corrugated cardboard boxes can go in mixed recycling, although this is not ideal.
• There is a Styrofoam recycling container in the SE corner of the upper garage, near the compactor room. Only white Styrofoam blocks (with packing tape removed) should go in the styrofoam container. No styrofoam food containers or packing peanuts.

GARBAGE CHUTE PROCEDURES:

• EVERYTHING that goes down the chute should be in a plastic kitchen-size bag (double bagged if necessary to keep it from spilling), and small enough that there is no chance of it clogging the chute.
• Do not drop items down the chute that might burst at the bottom and spill contents. Remember that the trash gets compacted - so please NO liquids. Other prohibited items include small appliances, glass items, paint, pumpkins, or anything else that would shatter or splatter on compacting, in addition to bags with fine particulates (such as bags containing several pounds of cat litter).
• Other examples of what not to throw down the chute are brooms, umbrellas, plants, dirt, broken glass, anything toxic or corrosive, biohazards (needles/sharps), etc.

WHAT TO DO IF IT CAN'T BE RECYCLED OR GO DOWN THE CHUTE:

• For items that should not go down the chute but can go in the compactor (such as furnace filters, very small broken appliances, or 10 pounds of cat litter, double bagged), find a time when the building manager is available and ask to have the compactor room unlocked, or leave it in a garbage bag outside the compactor room door. If you are not sure what to do with an item, please do NOT leave it next to the recycling containers. Locate the building manager and ask, please.

HOW TO GET RID OF STUFF THAT SHOULD NOT GO IN THE GARBAGE OR RECYCLING AT THE ESPLANADE:

• We now have a Goodwill drop-box in our lower garage. Please look at the chart below to see what can and cannot be put in the drop-box. Also note that the chart says very clearly NOT to leave items outside of the box. There may be some items that cannot go in our drop-box, but can be taken to the nearest Goodwill store. Click HERE for information about the nearest Goodwill store.

Click on the chart above to enlarge.

• The Habitat for Humanity Store is also a great resource. They accept used tools, building materials, doors, cabinets, lighting, and some appliances and furniture. Click HERE to see what they accept, and HERE for the location of the Tacoma store.

• Hope Furnishings is also a great resource and it's just down the street from The Esplanade. They will accept furniture and some household items in good condition. For a fee, they will come and pick up furniture, including mattresses and box springs. Click HERE to see their hours, address, and list of what they do and do not accept.

• OfferUp is the best way to sell or give away your furniture and household items online. It's a very simple app you use on your cell phone, and much easier and safer than Craigslist. You can watch a video HERE to see how OfferUp works.

• For mass shredding of sensitive documents: Go to "Storage Court of Tacoma" at 3310 S. Sprague Ave. in Tacoma (253-320-7051). They will do mass shredding for a very reasonable fee.

• The dump (AKA the Tacoma Recovery and Transfer Center) will accept many items for recycling (at no charge) that are not suitable for our compactor or recycling containers - including batteries, light bulbs, house plants, Christmas trees and other "yard" waste; appliances and electronics; scrap metal; building supplies; sheet plastic; toner cartridges; paint and other hazardous waste; and more.
  
  For $20, the dump will also take up to 400 pounds of garbage. This means items that cannot go to Goodwill because they are unusable, cannot be recycled, and are not suitable for the compactor at The Esplanade. This would include broken furniture, irreparable bicycles, broken luggage, animal carcasses, car tires, full-size manikins, old surfboards, etc.
  
  Get hours, directions, and more information about the dump HERE.

• Once a year, typically in spring, the City of Tacoma offers a "Neighborhood Cleanup Day." Residents of our neighborhood can drop off all kinds of trash and recyclables at the Tacoma Dome for free. For this year's date and other information, click HERE.

• For cell phones, laptops, iPods or other small electronics, websites such as gizmogul.com allow you to sell or donate these items, and will even provide you with a prepaid FedEx label to ship the item to them.

• There are many, many other resources for local re-use and recycling, such as freecycle.org and trashnothing.com. One of my local favorites is Tinkertopia; if you have not visited their store up on Pacific Ave., you absolutely must go and experience this local treasure.

Once again, I'd like to encourage others to correct, amend or comment on anything I have written here by using the comments section below. As is always the case on this blog, please keep comments civil, polite and constructive.