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.

Garbage In- Garbage Out

We know how it is. You work a long day, you're tired. The garbage needs to be taken out, the barrel is full, maybe even a little stinky, but the idea of walking up and down several flights of stairs and out to the dumpster is just not appealing to you. So you take your garbage bag, and you put in the hallway outside your door. You intend to take it down just as soon as you can, just not right now, but somehow that gets put off, again and again and again.

The above photo was sent to Markwood Management this week by a concerned neighbor. The bag in question had been put out on Monday. it was still there Thursday...festering and smelling and breeding it's own little colony of flies. Unfortunately this is not an isolated incident. In recent months  bags of trash, cardboard boxes, and bags of cat turds have been spotted sitting outside people's doors.

Warning: DO NOT DO THIS. 

This practice is totally unacceptable, and will get you a call from Markwood and a hefty fine.
The hallways are not a personal dumping space. Do not place trash in the hallway for any length of time. Either take the item down to the dumpster, or leave it in your unit.

You know, because seeing garbage in the hallway really improves the quality of life around here.

IMPORTANT NOTICE about TRASH & RECYCLING

You may have noticed a packet of information under your door recently concerning the new trash and recycling program recently instituted by the City of Salem. Read it carefully.
The skinny is that the new program is mandatory, so we have no choice but to comply.
The city has established an 8-week "grace" period during the implementation of this program to allow people to adjust to the new requirements. After that 8 week period, fines will be levied for violations of the recycling rules . These fines can add up quickly. That is a bad thing because eventually those fines will come out of your pocket, so.... please help avoid additional and unnecessary costs by only recycling those materials allowed and by not putting items that are eligible for recycling in the dumpster. Take a look at the sheet. Familiarize yourself with the allowed and disallowed items. PAY ATTENTION to what you are throwing away.
We encourage you to visit www.salem.com for further information.

IMPORTANT Recycling/Trash Changes

You may have noticed some new recycling bins in the side driveway.
A new and improved trash and recycling collection program will begin November 2, 2015.
Please read the following carefully. 

Remember — recycling is mandatory in Salem. 

New Recycling Collection Program
Beginning in November, recycling carts will be collected by an automated process in most neighborhoods. Special trucks with ‘arms’ will pick up your carts and deposit their contents into the truck.
NOTE: Recycling will be collected every other week in the blue 96-gallon cart instead of every week. The old bins will be going away DO NOT USE THE OLD BINS after November 2. Only supplied carts will be collected - trash barrels, blue recycling bins, or any other
receptacles will no longer be acceptable or collected.

Trash & Single Stream Recycling Collection
Salem is now offering ‘single stream’ recycling, which means that paper, plastic, glass bottles and cans may all be mixed together in your recycling cart. That is the good news. The bad news is that they will a lot pickier about what is in the bins. Pay careful attention to what items are allowed and what are not. There is a handy guide on the lid of each bin. If you are in doubt, put it in the dumpster. If you place disallowed items in the bins we run a strong risk of not having our recycling picked up, which besides being a pain in the neck, will be an additional expense for Markwood, and therefore for you.

So to RECAP
• Use the 96-gallon blue cart with the green lid.
• Recycling will be collected every-other-week.
• No sorting is needed.
• DO NOT put recyclables in plastic bags.
• Containers that held food should be rinsed and FREE of FOOD DEBRIS.
 For example: no pizza boxes with grease of cheese on them.
Acceptable materials for curbside recycling include:

A more detailed list of materials that can be recycled will be distributed later this week to all 24 Norman Street residents. You can also obtain more information by visiting  www.Salem.com.
Thank you for your cooperation.

Recycling Etiquette

There are a number of recycling bins available for the use of residents at 24 Norman Street, but after finding loose cardboard blowing around the side parking lot and a pile of boxes next to the bins, we thought it might be helpful to go over some basic rules of recycling and trash "etiquette".

1. Put the appropriate item into the appropriate bin.
People are generally in a hurry to dispose of their trash and recycling as quickly as possible, but taking a few seconds to read the labels on the recycling bins and/or check what is already in them before placing your items would be helpful. The recycling is sorted by item, both by where they put it in  the truck and where it is processed at the plant, so mixing different items in the bins just makes it a slower and more difficult process.

2. Make sure the materials to be recycled are relatively clean.
That means rinsing out bottles and cans and food containers so that there is no visible food residue in them. If you have something with food really stuck in it, say some cardboard food container such as a pizza box, if it is permeated with grease or has cheese stuck to it, please throw it in the trash, not the recycling bins. It's hard enough to keep the dumpster from smelling and being infested with flies, let alone the recycling bins.

3. Break down those cardboard boxes.
Too often people do not take the time to break down their cardboard items (such as large boxes) and leave them in a pile next to the bins.
This is a problem in several instances; when it is raining, when it is windy, when there is mixed packing material (such as styrofoam) in the box. These are all circumstances that either make an unsightly mess, make it almost difficult to recycle the material, or both.
Even if anitem is small enough to fit into the bin without breaking it down, you should break it down as much as possible, or you make it difficult for other tenants to use the bin, leading back to the unsightly piles of stuff outside the bins.

4. Leave the caps on those bottles
Rather than removing the caps from bottles, or throwing them into the bins by themselves, please put the caps back on. We have been told that when they sort the materials, the smaller items often fall into the machinery, and gum up the works.

If everyone could make an effort to follow these 4 guidelines, it would make for a much cleaner, more efficient and less ghetto-looking recycling area. Thank you!

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.

Waste Management to Take Over Salem Trash and Recycling Collection June 1

Good news for anyone who was completely frustrated by Northside Carting's unresponsiveness to the trash pick-up situation this February. (They basically didn't make any pick-ups at our building for the entire month).

Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll today announced that the City will be transitioning to a new curbside trash and recycling collection contractor effective June 1. As of that date the City’s trash, recycling, and yard waste collection will be conducted by Waste Management.
“Waste Management will be assigned the existing contract for a period of one month, as we work to negotiate and finalize a new multi-year contract with the company to officially commence July 1,” said Mayor Driscoll. “Over the last several months the existing contractor’s performance has significantly deteriorated and become a growing source of frustration for our residents and our City staff. Several weeks ago we began the process of legally separating ourselves from them and transitioning to a new vendor. I am pleased to announce that the new vendor, Waste Management, will be starting June 1.”
Between now and June 1st, residents who experience a missed trash or recycling pick-up should report it by calling 978-619-5673 or reporting it via www.seeclickfix.com/Salem_MA. The daily list of missed collections will be sent to Elite Waste Disposal, who is being contracted by the City to supplement the current contractor, Northside Carting, and help collect missed pick-ups. Elite will work to address the missed pick-up within 48 hours.

City officials are negotiating a new contract with Waste Management that will be submitted to the City Council before the end of the current fiscal year on June 30. That new contract will commence July 1 and additional details about it will be released once they are finalized. More information about the new collection contractor and any applicable changes to the City’s trash and recycling regulations will be posted at www.salem.com/recycling and sent via the City’s News & Announcements city-wide email list (http://salem.com/subscriber).

About Waste Management
Waste Management (www.wm.com) is the largest environmental solutions provider in North America, serving more than 20 million customers in the U.S. and Canada. As part of our strategy, we are committed to developing new waste solutions that can help communities and organizations achieve their green goals, including zero waste. With the largest network of recycling facilities, transfer stations and landfills in the industry, our entire business can adapt to meet the needs of every distinct customer group. In 2012, we worked with over 100 Fortune 500 companies and helped over 150 different communities become greener.

FAQs regarding Salem’s trash and recycling pick-up effective June 1, 2015

Why did the contractor change?
Northside Carting was unable to provide appropriate service for Salem residents; the City negotiated with Waste Management WM to take over the contract effective June 1, 2015. A new 10 year contract is currently being negotiated to start July 1.

How do I report a missed trash or recycling pick-up after June 1st?
You can still report these issues on SeeClickFix (www.seeclickfix.com/salem_ma) or call Waste
Management customer service at 800-972-4545.

Can I still bring my materials to the Transfer Station at 12 Swampscott Road?
Yes, Salem residents with a valid Salem driver's license and a non-commercial vehicle registered in Salem, are able to drop off up to 50 lbs. of non-hazardous materials free, over 50 lbs. of non-hazardous materials $0.06/lb, $5 minimum, white goods free), and yard waste in paper bags or loose (free). Please note: Contractors or non-residents - $150.00/ton, $50.00 minimum charge.

Will the dumpster at my building change?
If your dumpster is part of the City contract and not privately contracted Waste Management will work with Northside Carting to change out the dumpsters as quickly as possible. In the meantime, your dumpster should be picked up on schedule.

Is there any change in how Salem recycles after June 1?
Not initially. For the first few months recycling collection will remain as is with a dual stream process
(separate paper and plastic/glass). Any changes to recycling regulations will be posted at
www.salem.com/recycling and announced via City-wide email (sign up at www.salem.com/subscriber).

Are there any changes to how my trash and recycling should be placed curbside after June 1?
For the first few months, trash and recycling regulations will remain the same: unlimited dual stream
recycling and 3 barrel/bag trash limit up to 35 gallons and weighing up to 50 lbs. per container per
household. One bulk item is allowed weekly, per household. Any changes to trash and recycling regulations will be posted at www.salem.com/recycling and announced via City-wide email.

How will I know why my material is left behind?
Waste Management will leave a sticker explaining the problem; also if you call their customer service office at 800-972-4545, they should be able to address the problem.

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.

Don't Do This

When placing cardboard into the paper recycling bins, remember to break down boxes, etc. as much as possible. Don't do what is pictured here. The lids of the containers must be able to close, so that when it rains or snows, the bins don't fill with water and turn the contents into a sodden mess. It also keeps this stuff from blowing around in the street. If the bin is already full, save the recycling for next week, or throw it in the dumpster. Thank you.

Please Don't Do This

Recently someone left a bag of household recyclables sitting in the front stairwell near the recycling and trash bins. Please do not fill the hallway recycling bin with your household recyclables.
Those should be put in the bins outside by the dumpster. The recycling bin in the front hall is intended primarily for things like junk mail and other discarded papers such as magazines and newspapers. It is not intended for glass or plastic bottles or food containers.
Likewise for the trash barrel, it is intended as a convenience for small items, not for wet or smelly household trash.
Your cooperation in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Basics for Living at 24 Norman Street

We have a fair number of tenants renting or subletting units at 24 Norman Street, and therefore a pretty high turn-over rate, so it is sometimes beneficial to post some Norman Street basics.
As a trustee, I hear the complaints about building issues. Here are three common issues that come up again and again. If you pay attention to these issues and the solutions, you will avoid 99% of the difficulties associated with living in a compact, 39-unit building.

1. Excessive noise
This is the biggest complaint among owners and tenants in the building. The condo rules state no excessive noise between 9 pm and 9 am. That could mean anything from loud TVs and music to loud talking. Please note: Because of the age of the building and the way it was converted into condos, there is not much sound buffering between floors. In most cases, the ceiling of one unit directly abuts the floor of the unit above it. Sound carries very easily between units, more than you may be aware of, especially if you live on the 2nd or 3rd floor. Also, because of the layout of the lofts, most unit's sleeping areas are directly below the entry and bathroom of the unit above it. This also amplifies the effect.  
Solution: Be quiet between 9 pm and 9 am.
Curtail any loud activities. If you cannot avoid activity during that time, do your best to keep it as quiet as possible. People can hear you. If you are not quiet, and your neighbor lodges a complaint with Markwood Management, the owner of the unit may be fined until the situation is corrected.

2. Parking
This is the second biggest complaint from owners and tenants in the building. Besides griping about the restrictions and general lack of on-street parking, the next biggest issue is the misuse of the side drop-off area on the north-east side of the building. It is intended as a drop-off area for residents loading and unloading from their cars. It is not intended as an auxiliary parking lot, or as a personal work area. It is for short-term use. If you are parking your vehicle there for more than 30 minutes, you are abusing the privilege.
Solution: Don't park your vehicle in the side lot for more than 30 minutes
If you park there any longer than that, your vehicle may be towed at your expense.

3. Building Maintenance
Last, but not least, is building maintenance. This is a broad category which covers everything in the common areas of the building, the hallways, entryways, laundry room, roof, dumpsters, drop-off area and grounds and includes activities such as painting, landscaping, carpeting, cleaning.
Many complaints about maintenace have to do with the quality, appearance and even the smell of the property.
Some people have a tendency to treat anything outside of their individual unit as a kind of dumping ground for anything from shoes and unwanted household items to cigarette butts and trash. Random acts of vandalism have also been known to occur.
The common areas are just that, common areas, held in common trust by every owner in the building. We pay for its maintenance, which means when you abuse the common areas, you are taking money out of your neighbor's pocket. 
Solution: Don't use the common areas as your personal trash bin/smoking lounge/anger management tool.
Abuse of or vandalism of the common areas may mean fines and/or prosecution.

Courtesy, respect and consideration go a long way.

TRASH AND RECYCLING PICKUP ON SCHEDULE DURING THE WEEKS OF DECEMBER 26TH AND JANUARY 2ND

Please be advised that the Christmas and New Year weekend holidays will not affect the curbside trash and recycling pickups.

Trash and recycling pickup will occur on your normally scheduled trash date during the weeks of December 26-30, 2011 and January 2-6, 2012.  Please put out your trash and recyclables on your normally scheduled weekly trash day.

City-wide curbside Christmas tree pickup will take place during the week of January 9th - 13th.  However, you may leave your Christmas tree curbside beginning on January 3rd for pickup or bring your tree down to Dead Horse Beach for the City's 9th Annual Christmas Tree Bonfire scheduled for January 6, 2012 at 6:30pm.

Have a happy and safe holiday season.

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.

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.

Do Not Park In Front of the Dumpster

There are two rules about the parking area on the side of the building. One is never park in front of the dumpster on Tuesday morning. The second is never park in front of the dumpster on Tuesday morning.
Tuesday, is our trash collection and our recyclables pick-up day. Sear that into your memory banks. If your vehicle is parked in front of the dumpster, or is in anyway blocking access to it, the trash collection people, who have a tight schedule to keep, will go away without emptying it, and we will be stuck with an ugly, smelly and overflowing dumpster, as we were a few weeks ago.
You are also begging to have your car towed away by Bill's Towing Service.
If your car is in the side lot between the hours of 6:30 and 8:30 on Tuesday, you are definitely at risk for being towed, and making yourself very unpopular with your neighbors.
Make sure you inform your visitors about this as well. Thanks!

Recycling Bin

You may have noticed a new, blue recycling bin in the front stairwell. Jeannine Matthews in Unit 209 suggested that a bin be placed there for the recycling of the many papers and flyers that otherwise end up in the trash. It's a great idea, as the trash barrel is frequently filled with other, less-recyclable stuff. Remember the new bin is for paper items only.