The days after Christmas have historically been among the busiest for garbage collectors. They provided some tips to help them do their jobs, and to ensure your Christmas trees, boxes, and wrapping paper aren’t left behind.
NewsChannel 5 reporter Alexandra Koehn followed Lewis Williams and Roger Adams on their route in Hermitage and Mount Juliet on Monday. They said they picked up 2 or 3 times as much trash as they normally do.
"All kind of toys. All kind of Christmas wrappings, boxes, grills – a lot of different things. Lots of heavy material. My blade on my trucks a little bit further than what it normally is at this point,” said Williams.
"A lot of people have not put their cans out today because I guess they had the day off but we go the extra mile and if see the can we get it so it won't be as bad next week," said Adams.
Adams joked that he's called a "garbologist." He suggested that customers put out Christmas day trash as soon as possible.
Both men suggested putting out trash in waves may ensure they get everything.
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First, throw out your away food and wrapping paper before other garbage. Then the most stinky and space-consuming items are out of the way.
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Second, collapse cardboard boxes and put them in plastic bags. Not only is this easier to pick up and remove, people don't see what presents may be in your home.
- Put out old Christmas trees the first week of January. Garbage trucks may be full because of all the boxes and bags, and may not have room for the old Tannenbaum. It may stay out in your front yard – much less slightly than decorated in your home.
“It's the Christmas holidays, and [the amount of trash has] been heavier than usual. You've got to get some extra muscle with it – a little extra speed. So you can keep yourself on track. We go get it. So that's what we do," said Williams.
- Bagging items helped them move faster from house to house.
"Sometimes they'll just dump trash inside the cans but I think what would help is if they put them in a plastic bag and you can just grab um' and go. It's easier that way and lighter,” he said.
- Recycling your tree instead of throwing it away.
"It would be more environmentally safe and sound to take their Christmas trees somewhere where they mulch them up," he said.
In Davidson County, you can drop off Christmas trees at various recycling spots from December 26 to February 17.
Locations are below:
1) Cane Ridge Park
2) Una Recreation Center
3) Whitfield Park
4) Cedar Hill Park
5) Two Rivers Park
6) Joelton Community Center
7) Sevier Park
8) Richland Park
9) Elmington Park
10) Edwin Warner Park
11) Lakewood City Hall
12) Douglas Park
13) Nature’s Best Organics of Tennessee locations at 1511 Elm Hill Pike and 6401 Centennial Blvd.
Nature’s Best Organics of Tennessee’s operating hours are Friday 7:00 AM to 4:30 PM; Saturday 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
If you don't live in Davidson County you can call your local city hall for tree recycling information.
