Bullets, needles don't belong in curbside garbage, warns collection company
A waste management company is warning people to keep dangerous items out of curbside trash after finding one bag containing bullets and another laced with hypodermic needles this week.
Ed Grant, chair of Eastern Waste Management, said people need to be responsible and use a bit of common sense when deciding what to put outside for garbage collection.
"One was a bag that broke open that was full of hypodermic needles, I think that was over in the Holyrood area, and another bag that broke open had a lot of different live ammunition," he said.
Just think a second before you dispose of it and make sure that what you're putting in there is not going to be harmful.- Ed Grant
Grant said putting these kinds of items on the curb with no warning to garbage collectors isn't just dangerous for the workers, it's also a hazard for neighbours and the resident themselves.
"The message we want to get out is, that's not acceptable. If our people get hurt and we can identify who's done it we will certainly take action," said Grant.
While the company couldn't identify where either of these bags came from in this instance, Grant said RCMP were called in to properly dispose of the live ammunitions.
He added this isn't the first time needles or other sharp object have been discovered in the trash. Workers were lucky they weren't injured — this time, he added.
"We've had people who are off work because of bad cuts or needles," said Grant.
"When you have to handle these things, yes, you wear gloves and you try to wear protective equipment. But at the end of the day a piece of glass, broken glass, mirrors, they should all be put in puncture-resistant containers. Some of it's not a big deal — put it in a milk carton."
Use a bit of common sense
However, these aren't the only dangerous items going to the curb.
"We're seeing things like propane tanks and other pressure containers being thrown in garbage. You know, we're putting them in compactors and bringing them to a dump site," said Grant.
According to Grant, putting pressurized items like propane tanks in a compactor could post some serious danger to workers at the facility.
Grant is asking people to practice a little more responsibility when disposing of items.
"I think people have a general sense of what's right and wrong and we're asking those that, just think a second before you dispose of it and make sure that what you're putting in there is not going to be harmful to our people, the environment [and] just generally be responsible."
He added that if the company is able to identify where a dangerous item came from, they will approach that resident and explain the situation.
If it happens a second time, they will refuse to collect that resident's garbage.