Borden Driver Goes Above and Beyond

Jerry Maholmes, a driver with Borden Waste-Away Service, LLC for more than 15 years, was recently featured on WSBT television for going above and beyond.

Although Jerry has good attendance, a commendable safety record and goes out of his way to make sure his routes are completed and customers are satisfied, this “way-to-go” doesn’t have anything to do with his job. 

How Do I Dispose of Hazardous Chemicals?

The handling and disposal of Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) has become quite a problem over the past couple decades. Items that used to be thrown into the trash, poured down the drain, or dumped in the grass have been proven to pose a health threat when disposed of improperly.

Products that are considered HHW are safe when used according to the manufacturer’s instructions, but become hazardous when they are thrown away in a manner that may leach chemicals into the soil or groundwater. Some examples of common HHW include oil-based paints, cleaners, used oils, batteries, household cleaners, fuel, pesticides or other items that contain potentially hazardous ingredients.

Does Convenience Have a Cost?

What’s the cost of convenience? The term “cost” can cover a wide range of ways that something impacts something else. It can be monetary, which is the most obvious, but money may be the least detrimental in terms of “cost”.

In a world filled with convenience stores, items, food and a host of other things directed at saving time and keeping people moving in their busy lives, some important things are being left to fall by wayside.

Borden Waste-Away Excited to Renew and Expand Relationship With City of Goshen.

Elkhart, IN – January 18, 2018.

Beginning February 1, 2018, Borden Waste-Away Service, Inc. will begin collecting residential trash for the City of Goshen, fulfilling their newly awarded contract.

Borden was originally based in Goshen before being acquired by Elkhart-based Waste-Away Group in 1974. Borden Waste-Away President, Chris Himes, relates, “We’re happy to be a part of the City of Goshen again where Borden initially had its roots. We’re looking forward to strengthening our current connection and relationship with its residents.”

How Do I Dispose of Medical Waste?

Medical waste comes in many forms and from many sources. Doctors offices and hospitals are only the beginning. Dental offices, blood banks, and vet clinics also produce medical waste. 

Medical waste can be liquids, solids, semi-solids, or contained gases. They can be manufacturing process byproducts, sludges or spent materials, or simply discarded products. 

Whatever their form, proper management and disposal is essential to protect human health and the environment.

How Much Extra Food and Trash is Thrown Away During the Holidays?

Thanksgiving marked a day of family, friends and giving thanks for all of the wonderful things we have in our lives. One of these things, unlike some other countries, is an overabundance of food.

“In 2016 nearly 88 percent of Americans surveyed by the National Turkey Federation eat turkey at Thanksgiving. 

The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 16 pounds, meaning that approximately 736 million pounds of turkey were consumed in the United States during the 2016 Thanksgiving holiday.”

How Can I Dispose of Used Paint Cans?

All paints basically fall under two solvent categories, which define their type: water-based and oil-based.

“Water-based paint actually has water as a solvent, and is most commonly called "latex" paint even though it does not contain latex. Many water-based paints are made with acrylic and may be called "acrylic latex."

Oil-based paint is equally confusing. It isn't actually made with oil; it has a solvent of mineral spirits (also known as paint thinner) or alkyd resin. Alkyd can be thinned with mineral spirits, and latex paint is thinned with water. At the paint store, you can't go wrong with the terms latex paint or alkyd or oil-based paint.”

Is the Release of Balloons Considered Littering?

Birthday parties, sporting events, and weddings have one major thing in common. They are all excellent venues to let off an enormous amount of helium-filled balloons.

While beautiful and sometimes impressive, it is also illegal in many states and constitutes littering. Many cities and states have laws banning the release of helium-filled balloons including, “California, Connecticut, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia. Cities that have laws include Ocean City, Maryland; Louisville, Kentucky; Huntsville, Alabama; San Francisco, California; Nantucket, Massachusetts, and Baltimore, Maryland.”

Can I Put Batteries Into My Regular Trash?

Batteries have become an American staple for such things like appliances, toys, electronics, and so many other things we have grown fond of in our lives. “Fond of” is almost an understatement when it comes to some of the things that take batteries that we have almost become dependent on.

So many of the household batteries that we use are able to be thrown into the trash and, ultimately, the landfill.

How Long Does It Take Trash To Decompose?

Every product, package, and food item has a life cycle. Some are recyclable, but unfortunately, some are not and end up thrown away. Even when an item is discarded, this does not mark the end of its product life. 

Whether it ends up in a landfill or illegally dumped, it takes many years for it to decompose.

Why Can’t I Put Shingles Into My Regular Trash?

Roofing materials are measured in squares, which is essentially 100 square feet of roof regardless of whether the 100 square feet is a 10’ X 10’, a 2’ X 50’, or a 4’ X 25’. The specific shape does not matter as much as pure measurements in order to correctly gauge how many bundles of shingles to buy.

Until the late 1970s, shingles were sold by weight. They are now marketed and sold by “year”, meaning how many year warranties they come with such as 20-year, 25-year, and 30-year.

Why Do I Have To Bag My Lawn Clippings?

The whirring of lawn mowers is an all-to-familiar sound in neighborhoods across the globe. It’s a welcomed sound to those who don’t favor the winter months and a not-so-welcomed sound for some who are actually doing the mowing. Regardless of which category you fall into, all share the dilemma of decomposing grass clippings.

Mulching mowers leave the chopped up grass on the lawn to decompose and, therefore, feed the lawn. Some choose to bag clippings so as to not leave excessive amounts of them on the lawn to turn into brown little rows of dead grass that sometimes sit on top of the lawn.

Why Can’t I Put Dirt Into My Trash Cart or Dumpster?

Many household projects like cleaning up a garden and other yard work involve getting rid of a fair amount of dirt. But how should it be disposed of?

Most of us underestimate just how heavy dirt actually is. Depending on the amount of moisture in it, dirt can weigh anywhere from 76 to 110 pounds per cubic foot. Considering there are roughly 15 cubic feet of space in an average 96-gallon trash cart, filled with dirt, it could weigh at least 1140 pounds if the dirt is extremely dry. Any moisture at all and it could weigh over 1,600 pounds!

Will My Trash Driver Go Through My Trash?

When we discard unwanted items in the trash, we expect that they will end up in the landfill to rot
away. 

According to freegan.info, "Dumpster diving is legal in the United States except where prohibited by local regulation. According to a 1988 Supreme Court Ruling (California vs. Greenwood), when a person throws something out, that item is now the public domain.

Don't Myth an Opportunity....Dispelling Myths Before Opportunities Pass You By

With so much information on recycling available at the touch of a button, some of it being erroneous, it’s no wonder that myths come about. Once these myths circulate for so long, they tend to become viewed as reality. Between these myths and excuses for not recycling, they drag down the number of households participating in a recycling program.

Let’s delve into the excuses first, then tackle the myths. Some people just plainly do not want to recycle. They don’t want to mess with it, don’t think it’s beneficial, or just plainly don’t care. Some myths and excuses, however, come from misinformation and lack of proper recycling education.

Keep Talkin' Trash...It Pays!

Since when has talking trash really paid off for you? Since now! With Borden Waste-Away’s new Talkin’ Trash referral program, it can pay your trash bill! Our new referral program is so easy you can’t help but get free trash service. 

Simply tell all of your family, friends, neighbors, people on the street, in the grocery line, (you get the idea) about your competitive prices and great service with Borden Waste-Away Service and encourage them to sign up. When they do, you BOTH get a month of service FREE! What could be easier?

Paper or Plastic...Does it Matter?

“Paper or plastic?” used to be as common of a question in grocery stores as “Would you like help carrying your bags to your car?” Now, incidentally, rarely are either of these questions uttered in stores today.

Plastic grocery bags were introduced in the 1970s and gained immediate popularity. This veritable success story has a track record that any inventor would more than envy. Since its introduction four decades ago, this product has gone from “unheard of” to “unbelievably popular”. Now accounting for about four out of every five bags handed out in grocery stores, the plastic grocery bag as a product is an amazing success. 

Trash Carts...Weigh More Than Meets the Eye!

It is unbelievable how much trash Americans generate through the course of a week. Estimates are that “1,600 pounds is the amount of trash the average American produces annually. With the garbage produced in America alone, you could form a line of filled-up garbage trucks that would reach the moon”. 

As astonishing as this number is, it’s just the tip of the iceberg since today’s fast-paced culture perpetuates the problem with readily available, pre-packaged everything! In fact, speaking of packaging, “72 million tons of containers and packaging in 2009 ended up in the U.S. municipal solid waste stream or MSW. 

I Prefer to Look At It As, "The Bag's Half Full"

If you’ve ever opened a brand new bag of potato chips only to find the bag half, or even a third full, you are not alone. This disappointing phenomenon is called over-packaging and greatly adds to our landfill problems in the United States. 

Potato chips aren’t the only culprit. Cereal, cookies, over-the-counter medicines, candy, toys....the list goes on and on. As The National, an online publication, reported recently, “over-wrapped food items are a principal source of the mounds of unnecessary waste that wind up in the nation's landfills. It is common to see food packaged inside cling wrap, inside a plastic container, inside a box, inside a bag. 

'Tis the Season

The holidays are a magical time of caring, sharing, family, friends, and.....trash? Around the holidays, many more families get together to share meals and exchange gifts.

Along with the wonderful time spent with special people comes a lot of trash.....to the tune of about 1 million tons per week between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.
 
Added food waste, shopping bags, packaging, wrapping paper, bows and ribbons all add up to an estimated increase in household trash of about 25 percent.