Residents, Owners, Contractors – EVERYONE – Please do your part and help Keep Park Tower Cleaner.

Reduce unsightly and smelly messes in our halls and service areas, reduce blow back from the garbage chute, AND even reduce our collective carbon footprint:

–          Properly Bag And Tightly Secure Any Waste Placed In The Chute

–          Separate and Properly Disposing Recyclables Mandated By Chicago

–          Don’t leave garbage in the hallways or service area.

–          Consider utilizing the Block Bins composting service.

‘Tis the season for keeping AMAZON, UPS, FedEx and our staff, busy with deliveries (Amazon and friends – and our volunteer package sorters), and then cleaning up the mess (our staff).

Complaints about boxes and garbage being left in hallways and service areas become common more and more common, including a recent report of someone just dumping their household garbage in the middle of the hallway. Also reports of bits of torn and shredded paper and popcorn packaging blowing up and out of the chute when it is opened. And despite being a violation of the fire code, boxes and packaging find their way into the service area. Our team does what they can to determine the source and charges the Unit Owner for the time to remove such materials, usually a $50 or $100 work ticket depending on how much and how long it takes…which inevitably leads to an argument when the Owner gets a charge on their statement.

ALL RESIDENTS CAN HELP US AVOID THESE UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCES!

Be mindful to properly bag and tightly secure all waste you deposit in the trash chute – particularly bits of paper. This should be securely disposed of in a trash bag. Dumpsters and other trash containers are located at various places throughout the building – including both a waste and a recycling dumpster on the dock for bulkier and less secure debris. Especially perishables, such as left overs or rotten food, IF NOT REMOVED EITHER TO THE EXTERIOR WASTE DUMPSTER OR COMPOSTED IN THE BLOCKBINS (for more about the composting service: https://www.ptcondo.com/environmental-and-fiscal-concerns-intertwine-at-park-tower/).

The odors from rotting food can leave the chute area in certain wind and pressure conditions, and end up inside your home. So, please keep that in mind when you are disposing your garbage. If it is really messy, seriously consider taking it out to the waste dumpster in the back. Particularly fruits and meats, which should be tightly secured in garbage bags. When it is not properly secured, it well result in unpleasant odors and attract pests such as fruit flies and roaches. The staff rinses the chute regularly but this is not a perfect process, especially when crud gets caked to the inside of the chute. These types of odors can linger for days and pests in the chute can be near impossible to eliminate. And, when necessary, professional spray washing of the chute is costly and requires the chute be shut down.

For garbage that is awkward or cannot be bagged or properly secured for any reason, or garbage that is heavy with perishable items such as fruits and meats, we encourage residents to use the dumpster on the back dock. This keeps the mess, odors and pests out of the building.

ALSO – boxes and bulky garbage – such as all the packages our friends from AMAZON and UPS  may not be left in hallways or in the service areas by the chute for any reason. No materials can be left in this location, as it is unsightly and violates the fire code. If the source of any such debris is identified, for health and safety reasons it will be removed and properly discarded. The source unit will be charged a $50 to $100 Service Charge for our staff’s time, and if it happens again a $500 Waste Removal Fee consistent with the posted sign.

ALL CITY OF CHICAGO RESIDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO SEPARATE AND PROPERLY DISPOSE OF RECYCLABLES, which began with the passing of the Recycling Ordinance on January 1, 2017. There are locations for recycling on 1p in the laundry room, 2p by the service elevators, and best yet, the large recycling dumpster in back of the building at the dock. And there is more information about recycling, at the above link.

If you have any questions about PT’s waster removal services and requirements, feel free to ask at parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com.