Apartment & Condo Managers: Save Money on Disposal
	> Reduce Trash Costs with Recycling and Greenwaste Bins ---Save Money be Reducing Greenwaste > Establish a Reuse Area for Furntiure or Small Items > Save Money by Preventing Dumping During Moves >

Some apartment complexes generate a lot of trash because the tenants do not know what to do with large items and furniture, dump a lot of items when they move, or don't recycle. Landlords can save money by instituting recycling, giving tenants information about the proper disposal of electronics and furniture, and managing the landscaping waste. Request free information packets for your tenants on all aspects of recycling, greenwaste, what not to put in the trash, how to dispose of hazardous wastes, motor oil, and electronics by calling 564-5677 or download the brochures yourself from the education section of the recycling page.

Reduce Trash Costs with Recycling and Greenwaste Bins

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Free Recycling

The cost of commingled recycling and green waste recycling is less than the cost of trash. You can replace some of your trash cans or dumpsters with recycling or green waste containers and reduce overall disposal costs. In addition, each complex is entitled to 96 gallons of commingled recycling and 96 gallons of green waste recycling per week for free. This may be enough for 4 units or less.

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Free Greenwaste

If tenants or condo owners have their own small gardens, don't forget the greenwaste bins. They can also be used for houseplants and cut flowers.

Save Money by Reducing Greenwaste

You can reduce the amount of green waste you produce and the cost of recycling it by leaving some of it in the landscaping. One of the best things you can do for the lawn is to hire a gardener that uses a mulching mower. This mower has a special attachment that grinds up the lawn clippings and scatters them back on the lawn. The clippings degrade quickly and return nutrients to the soil. This is called “grass cycling” and does not leave thatch on the lawn. You should not see a difference between the mulching mower and the bag mower. If you do see some buildup, ask the gardener to put the bag on the mower for a week, and then go back to the mulching mode after that. Grass cycling can save even more money by reducing the need for water and fertilizer.

Another way to reduce waste is to tell the gardener to use leaf litter as mulch. Autumn leaves can be removed from lawns and flower beds and used as mulch under bushes, shrubbery, and larger plants.
Bare soil dries out quickly and is an invitation to weeds. Use leaf mulch to return fertility to the soil, block sunlight from the weed seeds, reduce water consumption, and reduce the bulk in the yard waste recycling can.

The Green Gardener Certification Program educates and certifies local gardeners in resource efficient and pollution prevention landscape management practices.
For a list of certified Green Gardeners, visit www.greengardener.org

Establish a Reuse Area for Furniture or Small Items

Tenants and residents often dispose of items that they don’t need, but are still usable.
Establish a “treasure table” in a common area where people can leave or take magazines, books, decorations, small appliances, and other household items that are current and in good condition. If you have a large complex, consider placing a shed for furniture where tenants must ask the manager for a key. This will allow for quality control of the items deposited. This will reduce the amount of material in your trash and recycling bins, reduce costs, conserve resources, and make your tenants happy.

Save Money by Preventing Dumping During Moves

Dumping of furniture, electronics, hazardous materials and other waste overwhelms recycling and trash containers and leaves landloads with a mess. Check out the section on moving to give tenants the resources to manage moving waste.