Hot Weather Compromises Waste Management – What to Do

The summer months are the time for many of us to enjoy vacations by the sea, camping trips with our family, hikes through our beautiful surroundings, and lazy, long lunches enjoyed around the pool in our yard. But all is not plain sailing for our waste collection and recycling services. 

With heat waves expected during the next few months, professional waste removal services such as your municipal waste collectors  tend to experience their biggest problems. These include dealing with bad odors from decomposing waste, vermin and pests which thrive in this heat and exacerbated by overflowing trash cans. And if there are any service delays or mechanical failures, the waste management circle may be broken which can create more problems.

How Does Hot Weather Affect Waste

• The most obvious one that we quickly become aware of is the foul odor that any discarded waste soon gives off. Heat and humidity causes any food waste to rot quickly as bacteria thrive in these conditions. This happens much faster now than in the colder winter months.
• Unfortunately pests are attracted to this rotting food and junk. Flies are the major problem and these breed quickly producing maggots which is a very unpleasant state of affairs that we would all rather avoid.
• Flies are not only attracted to the food waste, but to also any plastic packaging that is contaminated with leftovers. So even if the waste is recyclable, it can become contaminated with these pests.
• Piles of trash that are not collected regularly will attract other pests such as rats and other undesirable animals. Piles of yard waste need to be disposed of regularly as these pests are also found here.
• These pests tend to make themselves at home once they find their way into your property and even your house, so it is important to remove trash regularly and make sure to keep these areas clean so as to deter pests and vermin.
• Landfills are also affected by the hot weather. Solid waste and dumping of recyclable waste in the landfill yields methane gas which is flammable. Add the danger of flammable materials being dumped, and the right weather conditions like an extra hot heatwave with dry conditions, there is a very real chance of a fire developing leading to landfill gas explosions. This will lead to additional problems like a rise in operational costs which are passed onto the customers. So summer can lead to many problems that result from the disposal of household waste and business waste.

What Can We Do to Alleviate This?

There are steps that we can take to prevent the build up of garbage and the accompanying stench when it starts to decompose.

1. Reduce your food waste

   Try and cut down on your food waste, and if you do have any, it should be composted or thrown away in a secure bag which will not break open. Wipe and rinse any food residue from plastics, glass, or aluminum before you throw away any packaging or put it out for recycling. 

2. Keep your yard clean

   If you have your yard clippings hauled away regularly they will not build up enough to offer the perfect home to pests and vermin.

3. Keep your bins out of direct sunlight so that they do not heat up unnecessarily.

   Keep in mind that extra heat will decompose the waste even quicker. Try and keep these bins as far away as possible from your house so that pests like rodents do not access your home easily. Keep your bins securely closed so that scavenging animals cannot gain access to them.

4. Recycle diligently

   This is the season to recycle in order to keep your environment as clean as possible.

5. Never throw flammables in your bin

   The hot summer months are the time for runaway fires so keep anything that is flammable out of your bins and your recycling. 

6. Anticipate the amount of waste you generate

   Your household waste is sure to increase over the holiday weekends or when you have guests over, so prepare for the extra volumes. If it is more than your weekly waste removal can remove, or if you need trash removed in a hurry, Little Green Junk can help you with a same day waste removal service. And we leave the area where we removed the junk from swept and clean.

If, like so many of us, you intend going camping or hiking in your local trails and parks during the summer, remember to remove your waste when you leave. You are responsible for your own waste removal, and as no one wants to experience the beautiful outdoors with trash strewn everywhere, please take it home with you.

This means a bit of planning, and by keeping your snacks, sun screen, and water bottles in a backpack, you will not lose them on the trail.

Ensure that your wrappers and trash items are zipped away in compartments of your backpack to be disposed of later.

If you are camping it is advisable to take your recycling and trash home. Unfortunately the bins in camps and parks could be accessed by the little critters, and also if there is a storm or a heavy wind, your waste could end up being blown around. So take it home and dispose if it correctly.

How Little Green Junk Can Help in Hot Weather

We are a professional company offering waste removal services that are responsible and eco-friendly. We will ensure that we recycle where possible and only send to the landfill as a last resort. 

We will remove any trash from your home during the hot weather. So no need to stress if you are generating extra waste while entertaining people or even if you decide to clean out your yard. 

Please contact us for an appointment. We will arrive at the time agreed upon, remove your trash, and even clean up after ourselves, all with minimal disruption to you. We recycle where possible and only use the landfill as the last resort.

Please call us today on 717 467 0070 for a free, no obligation quote. We look forward to hearing from you.

We service the areas of York, Harrisburg, and Lancaster.

Email: inquiries@littlegreenjunk.com

Website: https://littlegreenjunk.com/