Workers at a waste facility in New Bern, N.C., no doubt snapped to attention when they came across not one but two unexploded landmines. Police and a bomb squad were called in to have a look. The devices turned out to be S-mines, incendiary devices that date to World War II, colorfully referred to in military circles as “Bouncing Bettys.” Neither device had a fuse, rendering them relatively harmless. One mine had already been crushed by a landfill compactor (to no ill effect, obviously). The origin of the devices was unknown, but city and landfill officials suspect the ordinance was destined for disposal elsewhere and simply was misdelivered.

So much for the new Pentagon recycling initiative.

Source: New Bern Sun Journal

The owners of Central Landfill in Johnston, R.I., had a problem: Local all-terrain vehicle (ATV) and dirt bike enthusiasts were illegally trespassing on the 1,200-acre property and using the landfill and surrounding woods for off-road riding.

The solution? Fight four-wheelers with four-wheelers. Using $17,000 in federal Homeland Security funding, two Johnston police officers were furnished with ATVs of their own (complete with shotgun holsters) and put on patrol to take down those no-good, dump-jumping motorheads.

The plan has helped curb the municipal waste motocross. Since instituting the patrols, half as many illegal off-roading incidents have been reported. One suspects those riders are too busy applying for jobs with the Johnston Police Department.

Source: The Providence Journal

You may think that that moldering, half-eaten burrito you’ve been carefully neglecting in the break room fridge is no big deal. But you’re wrong. Dead wrong.

An office worker in the AT&T building in San Jose, Calif. tried to be a hero and clean the break room fridge. The unplugged refrigerator was packed with rotten lunches. That stench, combined with fumes from the chemicals she was using to scrub the fouled appliance elicited a call to 911. Firefighters evacuated the building and a hazmat team was summoned. Seven co-workers wound up in the hospital and 28 people had to be treated for vomiting and nausea. Conveniently, the good Samaritan was fine, as her sense of smell had been incapacitated due to allergies.

For God’s sake, send those people some baking soda!

Source: Associated Press

So through a navigational snafu, a Netherlands Air Force plane landed at Little Rock National Airport in Arkansas instead of Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville, Ark. No big deal, right? Just get those Dutch flyboys refueled, show them a map, and send them on their merry way. Not so fast! What about the two bags of trash produced by the 10-person crew during the flight?

In most cases, trash from international flights is incinerated upon arrival since the government regulates all incoming material (primarily to prevent the spread of foreign plant and animal pests and diseases). And most international airports are equipped to do this. But, as its full name clearly indicates, Little Rock National is NOT an international airport.

The result? A charge of $1,750 to have the trash incinerated off site. For about twice that, the airport could have bought its own incinerator (which it is now looking into).

Seems like a lot of fuss for some Heineken bottles, salty licorice and a half-eaten wheel of Gouda.

Source: USA Today

Dire warnings about dwindling landfill space and a flood of obsolete TVs entering the waste stream seem quaint when compared to the peril of space junk careening toward you at 17,000 miles per hour. And recent reports (like Scientific American pondering the danger it poses to the Hubble repair mission or Wired listing the weird items in orbit) indicate that there’s a lot more of it up there than you might expect:

There are about 19,000 objects in Earth orbit, most of it junk, Nicholas Johnson, NASA’s chief scientist for orbital debris, told the AP. In addition to 900 satellites and approximately 1,000 “large” (bigger than four inches, or 10 centimeters) remnants from the February 10 collision, the sum of what’s floating in the cosmos includes trash from manned space missions. Some of the satellite collision debris could remain in orbit for up to 10,000 years, we noted last week—and if more accumulates, the chances of additional crashes will increase by 2050, Johnson told the newswire. (The European Union has a “code of conduct for outer space activities” that includes taking “appropriate steps to minimize the risk of collision.”)

Does it freak you out that there’s so much trash flying around and around a few miles above our heads? Or that it could actually fall out of the sky and hit you?

The National Solid Wastes Management Association (NSWMA) has unveiled another component of its multi-pronged “Slow Down to Get Around” safety campaign. (NSWMA) has released a television ad urging motorists to drive slowly and with care when maneuvering around trash and recycling collection vehicles. The ad, which is available in a 30- and 60-second version, was created in part with support from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

According to an NSWMA press release, at least half a dozen waste collection workers have been killed during the past after being struck by a car. “Too many families have suffered the loss of a loved one through this sort of incident,” said NSWMA General Counsel David Biderman in the press release. “But we can reduce the frequency of this type of accident by educating the general public. We understand why such accidents occur. With some simple changes and better driver education, we can save many lives.”

NSWMA is encouraging private haulers and local governments to share copies of the ads with their local radio and television stations. To request a broadcast-quality copy of the ads, contact Biderman at davidb@envasns.org or (202) 364-3743.

Earlier this year, NSWMA aired “Slow Down to Get Around” radio ads in 10 cities, and the association also provides “Slow Down to Get Around” decals for haulers to place on their trucks. To request the decals, contact Niehaus at sales@niehauscorp.com or (859) 331-3733.

Drivers in 10 cities are hearing a sober-minded message while listening to their favorite wild and wacky morning drive-time radio programs. Earlier this week, the National Solid Wastes Management Association (NSWMA) began airing radio ads urging motorists to exercise extra caution when maneuvering around garbage trucks. The 30-second ads - which are airing in Allentown, Pa.; Austin, Texas; Birmingham, Ala.; Dayton, Ohio; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Greenville, S.C.; Louisville, Ky.; Raleigh, N.C.; Richmond, Va; and Washington, D.C. - are part of NSWMA’s “Slow Down to Get Around” safety awareness program.

The ads began airing in the above-mentioned markets on Jan. 14 and will continue for three weeks. “A substantial number of struck-by accidents in which a motorist runs into a garbage collector take place during the morning commute hours, when motorists are often rushing to work or bringing children to school,” said David Biderman, general counsel for NSWMA, in the press release announcing the radio campaign.

Keeping workers safe is an issue of growing emphasis in the solid waste industry. In the January issue of Waste Age, we examine the various ways in which haulers are working to reduce the risks faced by their employees. We would love to hear your suggested topics for future safety stories.

To hear the “Slow Down to Get Around” ad, visit www.nswma.org.