The company that handles Bridgeville’s trash collection implemented new rules last week hoping to protect employees from contracting coronavirus.
But apparently, Bridgeville officials didn’t know about these rules until Friday afternoon. The communication gaffe left many residents wondering why their trash hadn’t been picked up.
The confusion continued throughout the weekend, as County Hauling reportedly planned to return to Bridgeville on Saturday, but wasn’t able finish collecting all of the borough’s trash until Monday morning.
Moving forward, here are the new rules for local trash collection:
Bridgeville’s garbage collection days will remain the same, but County Hauling will no longer pick up loose trash, according to a statement posted on the borough website last week.
“Loose trash, while never acceptable, can be especially dangerous during a contagious outbreak,” the post says. “Please note that loose trash on roadways or lawns will be the responsibility of residents.”
That applies to cardboard, too. Moving forward, cardboard should be put in trash bags and left out with regular, non-recyclable waste.
COVID-19 can survive for up to 24 hours on cardboard surfaces, and up to 72 hours on plastic surfaces, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Bulk waste pickups are suspended entirely. “Given the larger amount of people home,” County Hauling wrote, “there is a significant increase in the amount of trash being produced. Our primary focus is on eliminating recurring trash within your community.”
Yard waste pickups are also canceled indefinitely.
If the virus continues to spread, County Hauling might suspend recycling pickups, as well.
In the event of an outbreak in Bridgeville, or among County Hauling employees, the company could resort to providing centralized Dumpsters where residents can deposit their trash.
This morning, the borough’s former trash collector, Waste Management, announced that it will implement some of the same measures as County Hauling.