Oh, Chute

Trash talking is usually associated with sports players trading insults. The term takes on a new meaning when it comes to high-rise living. Some of the most common complaints I hear among my neighbors have to do with actual garbage.

Whether it’s the garbage chute, the garbage room, or rules and regulations surrounding garbage, there’s much ado about refuse.

We all know that living in a multi-story building has its ups and downs. As with many things in life, our inherent human nature is responsible for most of the complications. People can be selfish, lazy, sloppy, misinformed, inconsiderate, or just plain stupid. Particularly after the holidays, the desire to dispose of decorations, wrappings, and packaging can magnify these traits. Here is a sampling of what I have observed, which many New Eastside residents might find all too familiar.

Locked chutes. At one time or another, residents have experienced the disappointment of seeing the red light on their floor’s trash chute and the door stubbornly shut. Facing a crossroads, the options are to: either wait for the light to go off or drop the bags and flee, which leads to…

Trash on the floor. In nine cases out of ten, the result of locked chutes. Management posts signs reading, “Please don’t leave garbage on the floor of the garbage chute room,” in hopes of deterring bad behavior. In buildings where the recycling and trash rooms are separate, bags full of recyclables wind up in trash rooms. Whether residents are unaware of their buildings’ recycling facilities or optimistic souls who believe in the existence of a trash fairy remains a topic for debate.

Putting large items down the chute. Pizza boxes, wads of hangers, and down comforters are known to cause clogged chutes. Other items boggle the mind. In one memorable instance, a box spring mattress was disassembled and thrown down the Aqua’s chute. Bemusement over who could do such a thing quickly turned to frustration, once it was learned that the chute would be non-operational for the two weeks (during Thanskgiving) that it would take to clear the blockage, order replacement parts, and complete the repairs. Building maintenance worked overtime, collecting garbage from each floor’s trash room.  While this story gets more exaggerated with each telling, the moral remains: when in doubt, consult your building’s management office. Other resources, such as Salvation Army monthly pickups and My Storage Suite services, can also help ensure communal harmony.

— Shanti Nagarkatti | Community Contributor