City of Salem Expands Bulky Trash Item Collection Options

The City of Salem is expanding the bulky trash item collection options available to residents.

• Effective immediately, Salem residents can schedule two bulky items for collection by Waste Management at a time. Bulky items will continue to be collected on your recycling collection week only. To schedule a bulky item collection, you must call Waste Management at 800-972-4545 at least 48 hours in advance of your scheduled recycling pick up.

• For the month of May, an additional bulky item disposal dumpster will be available for use at the Salem Transfer Station on Swampscott Road, Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Proof of residency or property ownership is required, and you will be asked to sign in.  There is a limit of two items per person, per weekend. Construction debris will not be accepted.

For additional information or if you have questions, please call the City of Salem Recycling & Trash Office at 978-619-5679.

Christmas Tree Disposal and Bonfire

For residents of 24 Norman Street who have Christmas trees to dispose of:

Please leave your tree curbside for trash pickup starting
Monday, January 4th.
OR
Leave it at Dead Horse Beach before the Christmas Tree Bonfire on  
Wednesday, January 6th, 6 pm.
OR
Put it curbside for pickup after January 11th
Mayor Kim Driscoll, the Salem Fire Department, and the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Services will hold the City’s 13th  annual Christmas tree bonfire at Dead Horse Beach on Memorial Drive on Wednesday, January 6, 2016 at 6:00 p.m., weather permitting.

“The Bonfire is one more great Salem tradition,” said Mayor Driscoll. “I look forward to it every year and I know that many other residents do, as well.”

Waste Management trucks will be picking up trees curbside on the same day as your regularly scheduled trash day beginning January 4th.  If you really want to make sure your tree is part of the bonfire, you can drop it off at the entrance to Dead Horse Beach after January 4th or bring it to the bonfire on the 6th.
Please don't forget that all decorations and lights must be removed from your tree.

In case of inclement weather (rain, snow, or wind) the bonfire will be held on Thursday evening January 7th at 6:00 p.m. Check www.salem.com for rescheduling information.

City-wide Christmas tree curbside collection will continue to take place January 11 -15, 2016.  Please leave your tree curbside on the same day as your regularly scheduled trash day and Waste Management will pick up your tree.

DO NOT put your tree in or next to the dumpster.

NOTICE: DO NOT LEAVE LARGE ITEMS OUT BY THE DUMPSTER

To 24 Norman Street Residents:

Please do not leave large articles, furniture, rugs, electronics, etc.,  in the dumpster area.  Waste Management does not pick up these items when they empty the dumpster and we must send someone, at a cost to the Association, to remove and dispose of them.

Lifebridge in Salem may take some of these items.  There are many small, independent trash haulers in Salem who will take unwanted furniture for a reasonable fee.  In addition, Salem holds "EWaste" disposal days every three months at the High School.  With proof of Salem residency, electronics and household appliances may be disposed of for $10 per item.

We appreciate your cooperation in keeping the grounds clean and keeping costs down.

Thank you,
Markwood Management

As always, we ask that those of you who rent your units pass this information on to your tenants.

If this practice continues, Markwood may be forced to review security camera footage and fine those responsible.

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.