Storm hindered trash pickup

February 28, 2003|by SCOTT BUTKI

Last week's snowstorm put a crimp in garbage collection efforts across the Tri-State area but haulers said Thursday they were caught up.

BFI and Waste Management canceled trash collection for some customers last week because of the storm that dumped almost 2 feet of snow in the area.

When they made the next scheduled pickup they picked up more trash than usual, officials with the two companies said.

In the time between the canceled collection and the next pickup, some customers left their trash outside, where in some cases it was buried under snow pushed over it by plows, while others carried their trash inside, said Lee Zimmerman, a spokesman for Waste Management.

"Everyone was making the best of a bad situation," Zimmerman said.

Since haulers had more trash than usual to pick up when collection resumed, the work took longer than usual, said Jay Smith, operations manager for BFI in Hagerstown.

"It is a domino effect," he said.

BFI picks up trash in Hagerstown and Waste Management collects garbage in parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia.

Waste Management had some requests for its customers while snow is on roads and driveways, Zimmerman said:

Don't put the trash containers in a snow bank or drift.
Be patient. It may take haulers longer than usual to get to your home.
Don't put the trash in white trash bags.
Put the trash in a place where it can be found easily and picked up by the trash haulers.

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