Clean Spaces, Healthy Community

Living in a high-rise building means learning to follow the rules of a community when it comes to things like using common areas, managing noise within one’s own walls, and disposing trash properly.

Our building was built with a garbage chute, and this had allowed us to dispose of our trash any time we needed to, as long as we followed such rules as: don’t throw glass bottles, cardboard boxes large enough to clog the chute (like pizza boxes), things that could burn, and coconut husks (we saw a memo on this with photographic evidence!).

I mention this because in the last month, our building’s management has decided to close the chute permanently and instead schedule the pickup of garbage directly from each unit at certain times of the day. At first, I thought it might be folly; it was, of course, inconvenient to have the garbage ready for pickup on a schedule. But with the new rules rolled out (such as segregating the trash into colored garbage bags to separate food debris and other biodegradables from the plastics and non-biodegradables), I decided it was worth a shot.

Now a month into the new way of garbage disposal, I would say that it is a much better way to handle the trash of the community! Without the chute in operation, the room that collected all the trash in the basement does not stink anymore. The maintenance staff who collect the garbage from each unit can segregate the trash as soon as it is received; and then all they have to do after collecting the trash is place them in the corresponding receptacle for biodegradable and non-biodegradable garbage in the basement, ready to be picked up by the garbage truck when it arrives.

Community effort

A garbage chute is a typical amenity in condominiums, but it is not a requirement. I’ve seen other condominium buildings without any garbage chute at all; the management of garbage disposal is in the operations. Living in a place that has a chute, I guess I’ve taken for granted the fact that I could throw out the trash at any time. In a way, closing the chute to make the residents and the building management work together was a means to help us see the value of being deliberate in keeping not only our homes, but also its surrounding spaces, neat and well-maintained.

Below are some realizations I made from changing the way our community collected the trash.

1. Don’t just separate the bio from the non-bio, separate the recyclables, too. Separating the trash in color-coded bags is a great way of helping the people who sort the garbage for pickup. Take it a step further and find out what other outlets pick up specific kinds of trash and if you can collect them separately, too. Some services (such as the Trash to Cashback Program) pick up recyclables like paper, plastic, metal, and glass. In school, they ask families to collect the tetrapak cartons for the school’s recycling drive.

2. Reuse what you can and donate what you can. Many things can be reused at home, such as plastic bags from the grocery or old school supplies (we reuse the notebooks after the school year is through—because they are not all used). When you want to donate old clothing, give away only those things that can really have a new life again, such as those that have only gotten too small, but not threadbare. If the clothes have holes in them or must be sewn or repaired, then maybe it is best to just convert them into rags.

3. Cook real food; it reduces garbage because you avoid having any packaging trash. It’s funny to bring up food when talking about trash, but since we are segregating, I saw that the more takeout or packaged food we buy, the faster the black bags fill up, the more trash we throw. Cooking more meals using fresh ingredients cuts down on the food packaging trash significantly. Thus, cooking whole food meals (as opposed to using processed foods or buying take away food) is better for the health and the environment.

4. Involve the entire family in the change of any house rules. It’s difficult to enforce new rules if you don’t involve everyone in the home. Teaching the children how to throw the trash helps them learn and practice sorting (which is a math skill, by the way) and to be aware of the things we can do to keep our surroundings clean. It’s also a way to boost their confidence at home: since the kids have the same responsibility to sort the trash they throw, they learn to carry it out well.

5. Garbage management is a community effort. Following the rules is not just for our own sake; we care for the community and we want the other people in our neighborhood to enjoy good, clean spaces, too. That's why we work together and make it easy to manage the garbage. We help each other by packing the trash properly and being ready at the time of pick up. If we are not home, we can make an effort to bring the trash down and throw them at the designated bin. If we keep our own homes clean, there will be fewer pests in the building; fewer pests mean a healthier place to live... for everyone involved. That's why garbage management (and striving for clean spaces) is a community effort!

"Following the rules is not just for our own sake; we care for the community and we want the other people in our neighborhood to enjoy good, clean spaces, too."