{"id":806680,"date":"2020-04-22T13:04:39","date_gmt":"2020-04-22T19:04:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=382107"},"modified":"2020-04-22T13:04:39","modified_gmt":"2020-04-22T19:04:39","slug":"what-happens-when-colorado-stays-home-lots-of-residential-trash-for-one-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/what-happens-when-colorado-stays-home-lots-of-residential-trash-for-one-thing\/","title":{"rendered":"What happens when Colorado stays home? Lots of residential trash, for one thing."},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/LARIMER-LANDFILL-KS-07122018296-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/LARIMER-LANDFILL-KS-07122018296-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/LARIMER-LANDFILL-KS-07122018296-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/LARIMER-LANDFILL-KS-07122018296-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/LARIMER-LANDFILL-KS-07122018296.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption><strong>Residents of Larimer County bring their recyclable items to the Waste Management Recycling Center and crews work with Area 5A at the Larimer County Landfill on July 12, 2018 in Fort Collins, Colorado. <\/strong><br \/><em>Courtesy Kathryn Scott<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>In the past five weeks, Colorado residents have stocked up on everything from food to toilet paper. They\u2019ve shifted their domestic habits to order takeout in support of local restaurants. They\u2019ve gone online to save their consumer muscles from atrophy.<\/p>\n<p>The stay-at-home restrictions handed down from Gov. Jared Polis in mid-March have certainly scaled back how Coloradans conduct daily life, but they\u2019ve also generated two things in abundance: Residential trash and recycling.<\/p>\n<p>Lou Perez, the interim solid waste director for Larimer County, sees it every day at the landfill near Fort Collins.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re getting a bombardment of the public here,\u201d Perez says. \u201cIt\u2019s funny how many folks have been coming here since shelter in place. Our residential customers, the self-haulers who bring in waste from their own home, have almost tripled in volume.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\">\n<div class=\"row sd-donation sd-donation-mobile p-0\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/SDN-logo-white-1.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/SDN-logo-white-1.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/sdn-banner-paypal.jpg)\" class=\"col-xl-8 p-3 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/donate\/?utm_source=article&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=donation&amp;utm_term=&amp;utm_content=mid-article\">Donate<\/a><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The closure of many businesses has virtually eliminated some trash pickup, but Colorado consumers have come close to making up for it. With homes occupied for much longer periods than normal during the shutdown, residents accumulate more refuse and recycling in a shorter period of time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are seeing an increase on the residential side, because kids are not in school, parents are working from home,\u201d says Mike Robinson, district manager for Timberline Disposal and Recycling, which serves Summit County and parts of Clear Creek County. \u201cSo we\u2019ve seen an increase in volume there, but not to the point where it balances the decrease we\u2019ve seen on the commercial side.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He says he\u2019s seen a slight net decrease.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Scott Jenkins, Waste Management\u2019s area director for collections and operations in Colorado, also has noted a spike in residential volume \u2014 in part because people are staying home but also because the nicer weather has encouraged idle homeowners to throw themselves into yard projects \u2014 and producing yard waste \u2014 that normally might wait until later in the spring.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople are staying in, eating at home, and more folks are getting into their yards, finding things to do,\u201d Jenkins says. \u201cIt\u2019s still a little early in the season. Typically we see it later, in late April and May, but we\u2019re seeing volume in the system earlier.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome of the commercial volume is showing up on the residential side. I\u2019d say it\u2019s just shifted, but the volume is relatively the same.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jenkins said front line haulers have seen an outpouring of well wishes, from posters taped to trash receptacles to gift cards and thank you notes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe public has been very supportive of our employees out there,\u201d he says, noting a recent conference call on customer service reported a variety of gestures in Colorado as well as three other states in his management region. \u201cPeople appreciate normalcy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Recycling has shown a similar shift from business to residential, says Suzanne Jones, executive director of Boulder-based Eco-Cycle, one of the largest nonprofit recyclers in the country. Still, she\u2019s seen a slight drop-off in tonnage \u2014 due in part to the temporary closure of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecocycle.org\/charm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CHaRM, the Center for Hard to Recycle Material.<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i><\/p>\n<p>That facility, which accepts items like mattresses, electronics, toilets and scrap metal, shut its doors due to the necessary person-to-person interaction involved with those transactions. Jones says she hopes the center can be reopened at the end of the month, assuming the statewide stay-at-home order is lifted as originally planned.<\/p>\n<p>Eco-Cycle, which has its own fleet of trucks for pickups, also has seen a decline in those requests with so many businesses, especially restaurants, either closed or doing takeout \u2014 in which case the food containers end up in residential garbage or recycling.<\/p>\n<p>But aside from the sheer tonnage and its distribution between residential and commercial customers, trash and recycling operations have seen some of the same precautionary measures that virtually everyone has employed \u2014 and some new business practices as well.<\/p>\n<p>At Timberline Disposal and Recycling, all common surfaces get cleaned with disinfectant wipes multiple times each day \u2014 and then get cleaned again by a cleaning crew at night. Drivers must wipe down the inside of their truck cabs, all handles, steering wheels and dashboards \u2014 plus wear some type of mask.<\/p>\n<p>Social distancing was trickier. Robinson says his workers were used to having \u201ctailgate meetings\u201d where many workers gathered in a room before heading out on their routes. That practice was discontinued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re getting information to drivers in groups of three instead of 20,\u201d Robinson adds, \u201cand we\u2019re having some folks work from home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The company had another obstacle to overcome \u2014 a system of clocking in and out of work using a device that relied on an employee-specific code, plus their fingerprint. Every employee touched the same clock.<\/p>\n<p>Timberline initially just wiped the device down, but eventually abandoned it altogether. Now, there\u2019s an app for that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have an app that folks can use to clock in from their cell phone,\u201d Robinson says. \u201cThat call was made because the timeclock was such a focal point for whatever was on people\u2019s hands.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At Waste Management, employees also huddled for pre-shift meetings to talk about safety or customer service topics. Now, the workers go straight to their trucks. They either receive a handout with the relevant information or communicate via tablets that all the trucks carry.<\/p>\n<p>Workers already are supplied with personal protective equipment, but now the company is doubling down on making sure there are ample supplies of hand sanitizer or any other equipment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhatever they need,\u201d Jenkins says.<\/p>\n<p>And if they need to stay home sick, he adds, that\u2019s exactly what they\u2019re expected to do. Not only does the company take a proactive approach to educating workers on the symptoms of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, but it goes a step further to make sure they don\u2019t feel they need to go to work sick to ensure their paycheck.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re guaranteeing all hourly employees 40 hours a week,\u201d Jenkins says. \u201cIf you\u2019re out with COVID symptoms, if you test positive for COVID, we\u2019re paying those folks and guaranteeing 40 hours of pay. People know their job is safe, their income is going to be stable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The program operates strictly on company funds \u2014 no federal subsidy \u2014 and covers the worker through the illness and\/or quarantine until they\u2019re released by a doctor to return to work. The company also guarantees workers 40 hours pay if, because of the pandemic shutdown, there\u2019s temporarily not enough work to keep them on the job.<\/p>\n<p>Some of the safety measures begin with consumers \u2014 which is to say, the producers of all that recyclable material. Eco-Cycle requires that everything be contained within its bin so workers don\u2019t need to touch material that may carry the virus. At the recycling plant, workers already wear PPE such as gloves and, in some cases, masks. Social distancing has been a recent addition.<\/p>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/coloradosun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2020\/04\/Recycling.jpg?w=1024\" alt class=\"wp-image-97166\"><figcaption><strong>With the stay-at-home order in place, many Coloradans have produced unusually large amounts of trash and recycling. Courtesy Kevin Simpson, The Colorado Sun<\/strong><br \/><em>Krista Driscoll \/ <a href=\"mailto:kdriscoll@summitdaily.com\">kdriscoll@summitdaily.com<\/a> |<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>When the CHaRM facility reopens, more protections will be in place, including a sneeze guard at the window where transactions with customers take place. Normally, workers would help customers unload electronics from their car, but that courtesy may be re-evaluated.<\/p>\n<p>Out at the Larimer County Landfill, some of the increased activity on the recycling front stems from the fact that other area recycling centers have closed. Between that and people also taking this period of extra time at home to clean out their clutter, operations are going full bore, but with added safety precautions.<\/p>\n<p>The landfill\u2019s household hazardous waste operation has moved outdoors into a drive-through arrangement in which customers remove material from their vehicle and place it on carts. Attendants stand at least six feet away with proper PPE to take down pertinent information while maintaining proper separation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>From there the material is carted indoors, where it remains on a shelf for up to 48 hours to make sure any residual virus is dead. Then it\u2019s transported to other handlers who do the actual disposal.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s one methodology we changed to keep the public and workers safe,\u201d Perez says.<\/p>\n<p>Whenever the threat of the coronavirus dissipates, some of the measures implemented to this point throughout the disposal or recycling process may well stay in effect, says Timberline\u2019s Robinson.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo be honest, some good processes have been put in place, just from an overall self-awareness and protection standpoint,\u201d he says. \u201cSome things we may roll back, but some probably will stick around.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>The Colorado Sun is a reader-supported news organization dedicated to covering the people, places and policies that matter in Colorado. Read more, sign up for free newsletters and subscribe at <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/coloradosun.com\/\"><em>coloradosun.com<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/what-happens-when-colorado-stays-home-lots-of-residential-trash-for-one-thing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Residents of Larimer County bring their recyclable items to the Waste Management Recycling Center and crews work with Area 5A at the Larimer County Landfill on July 12, 2018 in Fort Collins, Colorado. Courtesy Kathryn Scott In the past five weeks, Colorado residents have stocked up on everything from food to toilet paper. They\u2019ve shifted [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-806680","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-13 08:03:56","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=806680"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806680\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=806680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=806680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=806680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}