UPDATE Feb. 13th – We received feedback from several residents:

Great suggestion from an owner: “Shredded paper can be put in the recycling bin!  That’s what I do with ours.”

And from a resident: “You should call it for what it is — dumpings from a shredder. One unfortunate results of many places no longer giving thin trash bags, is that we have fewer bags to dump shredder bins into. But many places still use thin trash bags, such as the Park Tower market, and the quick-shop place to our south.  There must be more.  All people need to do is save a few, and USE them….By the way, large bags need to be PUSHED all the way, until the rubber flap comes back.”

Absolutely correct – and I would add, if your garbage gets stuck and the flapper is open or the chute door does not fully close, it can make the “stack effect” (the wind which blows up through the chute) very pronounced.

FROM Feb. 5th – Nuisance paper shredding “blow back” has swarmed residents disposing waste down the trash chute.

Recently the office received multiple complaints about what appears to be bits of shredded paper, blowing up and out of the chute when it is opened. Upon inspection, these nuisance bits of paper were found in several service areas, and blow back of the material was observed when opening the chute from several different floors. Members of the staff have reported this happening to them when they have walked floors, several times over the past month.

There is unfortunately little we can do about the air that rushes through the chute, particularly this time of year. We can’t fight physics in any reasonable way to impact the ‘stack effect’ which occur naturally in high rises – not to mention for obvious reasons we can not cut the chute off from a flow of fresh air. However, residents can be mindful to properly bag  and dispose of waste – particularly bits of paper (such as those in the picture which appear to be from paper shredding). This should be securely disposed of in a trash bag. Trash containers are located at various places throughout the building for less secure debris, such as your junk mail. But even then, little bits of paper can make a mess.

Other nuisance debris includes perishables, such as left over or rotten food. Particularly meat. When it is not properly secured, it not only makes a mess, but it can result in a funkiness which I am sure most residents have observed in the past. This can be difficult to clean up when unsecured waste is dumped down the chute, and the smell can linger for days despite our best efforts.

The garbage chutes located on each floor next to the service elevators are meant for the bulk of your waste disposal needs. But consistent with the buildings rules and posted signs residents need to properly bag and secure trash and push it down completely into the chute. Anything awkward fitting or which may make a mess, should be taken to other containers. There are recycling bins at the 2p level just of the service elevator, and in the 1p laundry room. And the dumpster at the back dock is available for this type of debris.

We need everyone’s help with this, to promote a positive living experience for all PT owners and residents. Please help us keep the building clean and comfortable for everyone. Do not dump unbagged, or unsecured waste and debris (like paper shreddings) down the chute. If your waste is not secured properly within a garbage bag – or if there is a chance it could make a mess, please do not use the chute. Not just for our janitors’ sake, but for the comfort of all our residents and guests.