Some Trash Etiquette

With several new people having moved into the building recently, we thought it might be a good idea to go over some basic dumpster etiquette.
When disposing of cardboard boxes in the recycling bins, please take them apart and break them down as much as possible. Please don't do this:

Also, when throwing your bags of trash into the dumpster, please make sure that they go INSIDE the dumpster. Do not throw them on top, beside or in front of the dumpster. The dumpster looked like this recently, even though there was plenty of room in the back half of the dumpster.

 We ended up with trash all over the surrounding area.

This is always an issue, but especially during the summer months, when stray trash attracts all kinds of vermin such as flies, rats and even fat squirrels. (As well as smelling and looking bad).

Another issue is the disposal of large furniture or other trash items . We recently had this to contend with this discarded toilet.

The dumpster is not intended for construction debris, or large furniture items. If an item doesn't fit in the dumpster, you need to make your own arrangements to dispose of it.
If you are having work done on your unit, you must make sure your plumber or carpenter will dispose of these kinds of items off-site.
The new trash disposal service is not required to take these kinds of items, and if you leave them we run the risk of not having our regular trash picked up.
If you place an item of this kind out by the dumpster, it requires Markwood to hire someone other than our regular trash service to dispose of it, which costs extra money. The more money we take from the operating budget, (i.e. your condo fee) to haul this crap away, the less we have for other expenses and repairs.

Your cooperation is much appreciated.

Using the DUMPSTER

With 39 units, 24 Norman Street frequently has people moving in and moving out of the building. Generally when people move out, they are responsible and take all their stuff with them, occasionally though, we have what you see in the photo above: people discarding their unwanted furniture items either in or next to the dumpster.
The mattress in the image above was discarded by someone who recently moved out, (or bought a new mattress). This is a good time to remind residents that the dumpster is for non-recyclable trash and garbage ONLY.  It is NOT meant for mattresses, large pieces of furniture, construction materials, toxic waste or household chemicals.
We pay for weekly trash pickup, but the condo association has to pay extra for the removal of large items such as this. What is worse; the careless placement of this mattress would have prevented the trash company from emptying the dumpster if Markwood had not noticed the item and called the company ahead of time to arrange for removal.
This has happened on more than one occasion with dressers, chairs, bookcases and mattresses. It is the tenants responsibility for making arrangements to dispose of their large personal items, not Markwood Management's. Do not fill the dumpster with it, and do not leave it to sit outside. A good rule of thumb is; if it takes two people to lift it, it probably shouldn't be going into the dumpster.
If you are linked to one of these discarded items, (or your tenant is), you will be fined to cover the expense of removal.

Loading the Dumpster

 We had a bit of a problem with the dumpster this last week. It looked like this:

As it often is, the dumpster was loaded to overflowing with trash, some of which fell or was left on the ground, and with the high winds we had this weekend, blew trash all over the parking area and down the street. Not good for community relations.
The funny thing is, the back of the dumpster was pretty much empty. This tells me that people would rather stuff the front of the dumpster to the point of overflowing or worse yet, leave their trash bags on the ground in front of the dumpster, than walk an extra 10 feet to place their trash in the back of the dumpster.
Maybe you are too short to reach the back of the dumpster, maybe you are scared of what might be back there, maybe you like the look of garbage strewn all over the property, maybe you just don't give a crap, who knows? However, if you are tall enough, and have enough upper-body strength to lift a (maybe) 5-pound plastic dumpster lid, would you please consider placing your trash in the back of the dumpster? I think everyone might appreciate it. Thank you.

The First Rule About Trash Days

Unless there is a holiday, our trash collection is regularly scheduled for Tuesdays. Early in the morning, usually between 7:00 and 9:00 AM, a large truck backs into the side parking area and empties the dumpster. If there is a vehicle blocking access to the dumpster when they arrive, they will sometimes beep their horn, but more often than not, they move on, (they have a strict schedule to keep) and we miss our trash disposal for the week.
This can be a real problem as the dumpster will often be overflowing before they come the following week. This leads to an increase in pests (like seagulls and rats) and in the warmer months, flies, maggots, and bad odors, not to mention that it just looks plain ugly.
So remember, the first rule about trash day is: Never park in front of or block access to the dumpster. The second rule about trash day is: NEVER PARK IN FRONT OF OR BLOCK ACCESS TO THE DUMPSTER.  If you do,  you will not only cause problems with the trash, but your car may be towed as well.

Dumpster Diving

If you have lived at 24 Norman Street for a while, you will occasionally see homeless people from the local shelter going through the recycling bins looking for recyclable items. Although not condoned, and officially trespassing, Markwood generally overlooks this behavior as long as it is taking place during regular daylight working hours, and the people doing the scavenging don't disturb the peace or leave a mess. 
Dumpster-diving however, is another matter entirely. The dumpsters by definition are containers for garbage and other non-recyclable trash. This trash is often wet, dirty, smelly and frequently, dangerous. Broken glass, wood with nails, sharp pieces of metal, etc. Besides the fact, do you really want someone scavenging through your trash?
This presents serious potential liability for 24 Norman Street.
If you see anyone climbing into, on or around the dumpster, who is not an employee of Northside Carting, or a resident of 24 Norman Street, please call the police immediately.

Electronic Waste Drop-Off

Do you have an old air conditioner, computer, TV monitor or other hard-to-get rid of appliance? Instead of clogging up our dumpster, why not recycle them? Starting July 1, 2013 Salem Residents can drop off the following items FREE of charge, the last Saturday of the month at the Department of Public Services, 5 Jefferson Avenue, from 8am until noon.

Really?

Coffee cup found sitting in the hallway.

Another in a series of WTF? moments. 

Recently there have been several instances of trash carelessly left on the stairs. We're not talking little bits of paper...more like fast food wrappers, soda cans, coffee cups...coffee.

There is both a recycling bin and a trash bin in the first floor entryway. There is a large dumpster in the side lot, and a smaller trash barrel at the entrance to the side lot. Plus you may have access to a trash barrel in the unit you are living in, or visiting.

Not sure if you are passively-aggressively showing your disdain for the property,  a lack respect for yourself,  or if your manners just never progressed beyond that of a 2-year-old. Maybe you are a 2-year old. Maybe you are used to someone else picking up after you, or perhaps you're just too busy to be bothered to walk the flight of stairs to the trash barrel.
Not sure.

We know it's hard being expected to pick up after yourself, but please try.
Your neighbors will appreciate it.

PARKING LABOR DAY WEEKEND

The dumpster is currently filled to overflowing. It was filled with furniture by a tenant who moved out earlier in the week. (Note:If you have large furniture items to be disposed of, please place them carefully on the ground outside the dumpster). Markwood Management has arranged for Northside Carting to come and empty the dumpster sometime this weekend. Since we don't know exactly when they are coming, it is vital that if you park your car in the side lot, that you do not leave it unattended for any length of time, or be available to move it on short notice. If Northside Carting comes and you car is blocking the dumpster, and you cannot be found, your car will be towed at your expense.

Yikes! A Dumpster Fire

Last Saturday night (June 4th) Police and fire crews responded to the rear of 24 Norman St. on a report of a Dumpster on fire. The metal trash container was fully engulfed, and the Fire Department doused the flames at 2:02 a.m. It may have been deliberately set.


















The top of the dumpster was completely melted and the tree branches above it were singed.
The dumpster is close enough to the building that the fire could have damaged it or even caught the building on fire.


















If you see any suspicious activity around the dumpster or the building, call the Police, Fire Department, or Markwood Management immediately.
Photographs are courtesy of Ben Arlander, a resident of 10 Norman Street who happened to see the fire on his way home.

WTF? Situations

I hate sounding like the resident curmudgeon, but there have been some things happening around the building lately that indicate some tenants here at 24 Norman Street have a different standard of behavior when it comes to living in a condo . Things that make me say "WTF?".Here are a few "WTF?" examples from the last few weeks:


WTF? #1 The Front Door
























The front door key code entry system broke the week after Christmas. A notice was posted soon afterwards informing people that they would need to use their manual front door key.
Key? What's that?
Apparently many residents did not have keys, or had never bothered to get one. In spite of the fact that Markwood's phone number is clearly posted in several places in the building, and the fact that they offered to distribute keys to tenants for free, the front and back doors were found propped open, the locks tampered with and jammed, and on one occasion even taped open, (which created an unnecessary security and safety issue) because...people couldn't be bothered to take 5 minutes and call Markwood for a key? Seriously?



WTF? #2 The Dumpster























Unless we miss a pickup for some reason, there is generally a lot of unused space in the dumpster on any given week, however you would never know it to look at it. It is mostly at the back of the dumpster. If people would take a little more care in where they place their trash inside the dumpster and make sure that it is distributed to the back first, rather than piling up in the front, then we won't have it looking like it did this week. Because this looks so attractive...to rats. Also, kudos to whoever left the giant cardboard boxes sitting on the ground.

WTF? #3 The Recycling
























I have already posted about breaking down cardboard boxes to fit in the recycling bin, some people are actually doing it. I saw someone tearing up a cardboard box to fit it into the recycling bin just last week and almost wept for joy. Many of you however, are still not getting the message. You need to pick up and take care of your own trash... so that it doesn't blow all over the sidewalk and the street and make the building look like a college dorm after an all-night kegger.

WTF? #4 The Laundry Room

















If you are planning on doing several loads of laundry, please plan on sticking around the building until the laundry is done. There are only 6 machines for 39 units. (Do the math)
There is nothing more frustrating than finding all the machines full of clothes in the morning, and then finding those same clothes in the same machines in the evening.
It seems like some of you are putting in a load before you go to work and not checking them until you come home at night, or return from an extended vacation abroad. That leads to scenes like this one. However if you don't mind your clothes being handled by strangers, or tossed into a damp, mildew-ey pile, please continue this practice.

It doesn't take much extra effort to make a big difference in how the building looks and feels. Maybe an extra five minutes of effort or thought.
You may be thinking "What's the big deal? We have maintenance people and trustees to take care of these things", or "If it's outside of my unit, it's not my problem", but those attitudes are short-sighted. Do you care how where you live looks? Do you care if it feels clean, neat and well maintained? Sure, we pay people to clear snow, do landscaping, pick up trash, put out the recycling, vacuum, mop, and do general repairs, but they can't make the building feel like a decent place to live if we, the tenants who live here, demonstrate that we don't care about it through our careless behavior.