July 2023
As stores stop providing plastic bags for carrying purchased items, condominium communities will need to adjust how they handle garbage.
Grocery shopping bags are the preferred choice for transporting waste to a building’s garbage chute or to a dumpster. When these bags are no longer available, people are unlikely to purchase bags for this purpose. They may decide to throw unbagged garbage down the chute or transport it through hallways causing all kinds of problems.
Unbagged waste thrown down a garbage chute can build up along the walls of the chute, cause equipment problems, emit bad odours, and attract insects and rodents. There are increased fire and health risks. Transported through halls and in elevators, unbagged waste will create sanitation issues if not controlled and require enhanced cleaning measures.
There will be a need for increased frequency of cleaning of waste systems and common areas, pest control, odour control and general cleaning. The easier solution, spraying a degreaser and deodourizer down a chute, can help to a limited extent. More extensive and manual cleaning by professional services will be needed.
With elimination of single-use plastics, planning for transport of waste from unit to waste bins should be on the radar of building management.
