Waste in Bulk
One man's trash is another man's eyesore, especially if the heap's been sitting at the curb for a while.
Old sofas, entertainment centers and mattresses have bloomed along with the spring flowers along the streets of Butler as spring cleaners set larger items out for the garbage collectors.
Don Vogel, the vice president of Vogel Holding Co. which owns Vogel Disposal Service Inc., the company that collects garbage in Butler, said bulk waste is anything that won't fit into a 42-gallon garbage container or weighs more than 40 pounds.
“We do handle bulk waste,” said Vogel. “That's anything that doesn't fit into your garbage can.”
Butler residents are entitled to place one bulk waste item per month at the curb for collection on the resident's first collection day of the month.
A Vogel garbage truck, manned by a driver and a helper, run different garbage routes every day in Butler.
Vogel said trucks equipped with an automated side loader (the claw) can't be used in the city because of some of the narrow streets.
So, trash is placed in the truck's compactor the old-fashioned way by muscle power.
However, under certain conditions, certain items won't be picked up.
Vogel said because of health issues, discarded mattresses and box springs must be wrapped in plastic before they will be picked up.
“It's a health issue. We have to protect our workers from bed bugs,”said Vogel.
While city residents can dispose of one bulk item per month for pickup, if they are doing a thorough house cleaning and accumulate a heap of bulk waste, they can call the Vogel Disposal Service office and make arrangements for a special trash pickup.
Vogel said computers and television sets won't be picked up because they are classified as hazardous electronic waste or e-waste.
E-waste includes any device capable of receiving and displaying television or video programming.
Televisions, computers, laptops, tablets and other detritus, however, can be taken to the TC Recycling Center, 120 Hutchman Road, Mars, where, for a fee, the electronic junk will be taken off the owners' hands.
Vogel said everything, even that old couch or computer desk, will eventually wind up in the Seneca Landfill, 421 Hartmann Road, Evans City.Of course, by the time the on-site compactor crushed down the old furniture, it might not be recognizable.“We'll reduce that couch so it will compress pretty nicely into the landfill,” he said.There are some items the garbage trucks are forbidden by state law to accept. Junk such as tires, all batteries, all asbestos, and any devices containing mercury and oil, paints, herbicides, pesticides and pool chemicals can't enter the junk stream.Recyclable materials are also kept out of the junk stream.Every-other-week recycling pickup collects plastic containers with the numbers 1 (polyethylene terephthalate), 2 (high density polyethylene) and 5 (polypropylene) symbols.This includes soda and water bottles; milk, water and juice jugs; detergent bottles; and yogurt and margarine tubs.Vogel said optical scanners sort the different plastics.“We have markets that will take the material and turn it into other products,” he said of the ultimate fate of the recycled plastic.Recycling has been a required option for county waste haulers since Butler County passed an ordinance in 1990, according to Sheryl Kelly, environmental specialist for Butler County Recycling and Waste Management.“The law requires the haulers to also offer curbside recycling,” said Kelly.“The original intent is to recycle more and lower the level of garbage,” she said.“Every resident has the ability to recycle if they do have garbage service,” she said.
She noted recycling rules have changed, and it is important to check with the garbage hauler to make sure the right materials are placed in the recycling bin.Kelly added the county is required to produce a solid waste plan every 10 years. The next one will be due in 2027.However, some people don't care about reducing the trash stream or sorting their plastic containers. They prefer to take matters into their own hands and dispose of their garbage on their own and illegally.A survey done in 2007 identified 217 illegal dump sites in the county, 90% of them in rural areas. The illegal dumping kills aquatic life, reduces property values and endangers people because of broken glass, hazardous chemicals and needles.
