Reducing Landfill Waste Through Responsible Bulk Removal

After an estate cleanup, a construction project, extensive yardwork, or other waste-creating projects, homeowners have a responsibility to their communities to reduce landfill waste if possible. Companies that produce bulk waste share this responsibility daily. Bulk removal can reduce the strain on local landfills by categorizing larger items and moving them to the specific facilities that can reuse, recycle, or safely process them.

By scheduling Chesapeake bulk pickup services, home and business owners can responsibly contribute to the wellbeing of the environment, safety, and efficiency of their communities. This article reviews how bulk removal works in Chesapeake, VA, but the principles are similar for home and business owners in any city who hope to reduce disposal costs and environmental impact in their area.

How Does Bulk Waste Impact Landfills?

According to the EPA’s most recent municipal waste data, the US landfills have over 146 million tons of solid waste, out of the 292.4 million tons it generates. This is around half of all solid waste produced, with the rest being composted, recycled, combusted, or used in food recovery programs.

When homes and businesses contribute to bulk waste in Virginia, as in many states, local municipalities are presented with several challenges. Some of these challenges include maintaining regulatory compliance and extending the life of their landfill sites, which can become overburdened if bulk waste is not handled responsibly. Homeowners can contribute to this problem more severely than they may realize.

Furniture, mattresses, appliances, and construction debris take up far more space in landfills than smaller material, which compresses and degrades over time. Solid concrete, for example, will not naturally decompose for decades or even centuries. Virginia is presented with growing challenges with the lifespans of their landfills, making it essential for home and business owners to adopt waste diversion strategies for more responsible bulk removal.

Bulk Removal Strategies for Landfill Health

Home and business owners in Chesapeake or any city can use these bulk removal strategies to reduce their impact on local landfill waste, avoid local infractions for improper waste disposal, and support the sustainability of their communities by reducing their impact on trash accumulation.

1. Sort Before Removing

Sorting bulk items before removing them to the landfill can help reduce the strain on public disposal facilities while also saving home and business owners from fines and pickup delays. Chesapeake, like any city, has regulations for what trash can be thrown away as bulk waste, how certain items need to be prepared for disposal, and which items cannot be included in trash destined for a landfill.

You can call or message the waste management division of Chesapeake to ask about a specific item, but these rules for bulk trash disposal should answer some of the most common questions:

• Yard trash such as tree debris can be included in bulk trash, but the piles must be separated.
• Construction debris, such as concrete, refuse wood, fencing, soil, and roofing materials, cannot be included in bulk trash piles.
• Hazardous materials cannot be included in any bulk trash pile, including chemicals, liquids, carpeting, tires, glass, electronics, batteries, and more.

Bulk trash disposal can be a complicated process, but following the city’s sorting guide can help avoid pickup delays and unnecessary fees.

2. Donating and Reusing

Before committing items to bulk pickup, many of which could be ineligible, consider donation and reuse opportunities. This is particularly useful for furniture since so many new homeowners and charities need good furniture and other home goods. These items are easy to donate through local organizations, many of which schedule their own home pickups. Check Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, and local shelters to start.

By keeping these items out of landfills, property owners can help local organizations and families while making their bulk trash pickup process much easier. The items worth donating are often the items with the most complicated disposal rules. For example, furniture or appliances with glass components need to be taped, often with the doors removed, to be viable for bulk pickup. Donation or reuse avoids complex disposal rules and city fines while benefiting those in need.

3. Recycling Certain Items

Responsible bulk removal should also include a recycling strategy. Chesapeake has a municipal program for recycling bulk waste, including recycling drop-off sites that owners can use 24/7 to dispose of recyclable materials such as number 1 and 2 plastics (these are denoted by a recycling triangle on the bottom), metal cans, and paper items. In a separate container, shipping box cardboard can be recycled as well.

Recycling through the City of Chesapeake is not the only option. Consider these other services for specific materials:

• Plastic bags can be taken to local grocery stores, which often place bins at the entrance for this purpose. These can be recycled and compressed into composite materials.
• Electronics (e-waste) must be disposed of at an SPSA transfer station or at a quarterly Recycles Day event.
• Aluminum cans can be recycled, but they can also be donated to the Chesapeake Animal Services to finance the CAS Medical Fund, which helps pay for medical procedures for animals in need. They have a trailer set up in the parking lot at 2100 S. Military Highway for these cans.

Recycling discourages property owners from landfilling items that can be reused to the benefit of the city and local organizations. It also helps them avoid overburdening or misusing their local pickup services.

Book Your Chesapeake Bulk Pickup Today

At Fullstrut Disposal, our team knows the ins and outs of bulk trash removal and landfilling in Chesapeake, VA. Home and business owners that tackle disposal on their own often miss key guidelines that prevent them from making pickups or cost them unnecessary fines. By lumping everything together into the landfill, they also miss opportunities to help local families and organizations with donations.

Contact our team today to learn how we can help to responsibly reduce landfill waste in your area, lower your risk for city fines, and benefit local individuals with our white glove waste management services in Chesapeake.