The City of Vernon is reminding residents not to put certain items in their curbside garbage for the safety of their garbage collectors.
The message comes one week after an Armstrong garbage collector was seriously injured by a neon tube that was improperly disposed of.
On Tuesday, June 3, the city put out the following list of items that should not be placed in curbside garbage:
- liquids
- hot ashes
- wood waste, drywall, scrap metal, concrete, bricks or other construction and demolition waste
- hazardous waste such as motor oil, paint, chemicals and pesticides
- batteries, electronics, small appliances, power tools
- beverage containers
- light bulbs, tubes or light fixtures
- recyclables including cardboard, paper, plastic containers, tin cans
- yard/garden waste
- Styrofoam packaging (e.g., found around electronics)
- glass containers (broken glass should be contained, not placed loose in the bag as it can cause injuries to collection workers)
- sharps (e.g., used needles, broken work knife blades)
“Residents must use other services and methods to manage these types of waste stream, not curbside collection,” the city said.
Information on how to properly recycle these these items and more can be found on webpages by the City of Vernon, the Regional District of North Okanagan, RecycleBC and Return-It.
READ MORE: Improper waste disposal in Armstrong leaves worker with serious injury
