August 17, 2025 • 30 mins
This week Joe and Erin discuss composting. Listen in and learn something new!
Myers Container Service Corp. is the area's most reliable in garbage removal and recycling services. We are a locally owned company with 12 years of industry experience.
Every week here on the Trash Talking and Giving Back Podcast, we highlight local heroes and organizations that are doing great work in our community.
Myers Container Service Corp. is the area's most reliable in garbage removal and recycling services. We are a locally owned company with 12 years of industry experience.
Every week here on the Trash Talking and Giving Back Podcast, we highlight local heroes and organizations that are doing great work in our community.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Hey everyone, and welcome to another edition of the Trash
Talking and Giving Back Podcast. I'm Aaron Kofield Barker. This
is Joe Sinagra, my lovely co host. He works at
Myers Containers. He does it all this week. No guests
for you all. We are just gonna pick Joe's brain
and see how good he really is at his job.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I appreciate that, so we'll do our best.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
And I did not send Joe any idea of what
we'd be asking, so we'll have to see if we
catch him in anything he's unsure of. I feel like, Joe,
how do you handle that when someone asks you something?
Are you like a BS or makes up up? Or
are you just like you know what?
Speaker 3 (00:50):
I'm not sure like I'll get back to you.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
Yeah, That's why I did well at college because I
know just enough about a lot of stuff and I
can bes my way around. Let's see, you ask for
forgiveness and permission, so we'll just make it up. So
it's my own life. That's why my you know, raising
kids was so much easier. You just just wing it, just.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Banging figured it out. They're still alive.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
They both almost are out of the house like you're good,
You're exactly.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
I've got a long ways to go.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
With the three and a half year old and the
nineteen month old, I had the classic.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Actually, here's a good question. Are your kids like the classic?
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Like first child it was a little bit more like
buttoned up, prim and proper, and then second was like
the wild child.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
Absolutely, And we were just talking about this recently, where
the second child seemed to be more of the picky
eater and the picky, pickier person in life, you know, like,
you know, I think it's a boy and girl thing too,
you know, because my daughter's the younger one and she's
always a little more particular about you know, how she
left the house and you know what we're having for
(01:55):
stacks and stuff like that, where my son was kind.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Of like, you know whatever, But.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Yeah, yeah, and years are a lot older mine are, obviously,
we're younger and Kurt, Like yesterday, Jack was like lining
up his cars and the driveway all nice and neat,
and then I took a picture of Ellie because she
was a hot mess from daycare, just like hair everywhere, dirt.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Everywhere, and I was just like, man, that second child,
they just don't.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Give f Absolutely the closest we've gone a swearing on
the podcast.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
We haven't done it yet.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
Still early, still early, all right, but also going on
in your life, not too.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
Much, you know, the round here, you know, as the
summer truck's along, guys are out there working, you know,
summertime seems to be more. The second largest volume of
waste is created typically in August, so we're right in
the middle of that kind of heavy season of waste
(02:53):
and recycling. So guys are working hard. But it's good.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
Why August, I was assuming the first is like Christmas
time or Christmas time, Yeah, by August.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
So August people are coming out of the vacation time
and preparing for like back to school and stuff like that,
back to school shopping, so a lot of people are
like purging, like, oh, before we bring, you know, like
my parents always said, you know, before you can bring
something new and now resetting and old.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
So a lot of people do that.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
So there's a lot of purging of that stuff and
people beginning the process of kind of getting prepared for
fall and those projects that you're supposed to do in May,
you know you pushed off, you don't cleaning the garage,
things like that, so back to school, you know, like
I'm seeing, Well, some schools in the South are already back,
you know, when colleges are going back in a couple
of weeks. So yeah, we see a big, big uptick
(03:45):
in August.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
How does it go down at your house? Are you
the purger or the saver?
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (03:51):
You know, so I used to be the pursuer, but
as we accumulated more stuff and my wife got older,
their roles reversed. So she is the get rid of
stuff and everything in between. So I tell the funny
story that when we were moving, Uh, there was an
(04:12):
old music box that my parents had in their house
that we had, and of course it accidentally went into
purge pile.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
And is you know, has certain spin.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Still got I feel like you told it. I feel
like you told that story here on the podcast that
she hadn't maybe noticed yet that I.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Haven't noticed yet.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Thankfully, so she must.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
Yeah, but hopefully when she, you know, listens to this week, she'll, uh,
she'll I'll get in trouble. I got in trouble last
night at Trader Joe. So you know, it's all, it's all.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Part of it.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
What did you do there?
Speaker 4 (04:48):
We are checking out and the checkout person made it.
You know, the Trader Joe's people, I think they're they're
instructed to like, you know, like fort and talk and.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
All this other stuff. So she was very nice. She
was talking.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
There was the three of us and she was talking,
making all and I made a crude comment about my
wife that the lady didn't pick up on, thankfully, and
I looked and I got the look for my wife.
And then when we got in the cars, she instructed
me that the college jokes, I think are long past due.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
So boy, I have a few comments about this. I
do believe they're instructed to interact. I'm not sure flirt
is the word the oriental word in the handbook of
what the trader jokes.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
No, they definitely are, because my wife came home and
if we had her on, she would tell the story.
She said, get you love Trader Joe's, and that there
was a person there who would flirt with her all
the time. And she would say she one time and
asked where like the cream cheese were or something, and
he's like, I'll show you where my cream cheese is.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
And she got.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
To yeah, absolutely, well, that's kind of amazing. I didn't
I did any even here.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
I was kind of making you be a little bit
of like a weirdo thing. And the Trader Joe's people
are always trying to flirt with you.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
But oh no, I know, I gotta go.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Maybe I always end up in the female line. I
got to go in the male line a couple of times.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
And the female line it is Vermont.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Yeah, that is very true, very true, very true.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
All right, you have to figure out where to go
from here, and you want to start talking composting, you got.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
Well, no, a good transition, because you know, there is
a lot of food waste, and you know, it's a
struggle in my house that I have some I have
one child who's a big leftover fan, and I have
another child who does and you know, it's the old
joke of you know, usually in every relationship there's the
one who eats the food two days past expiration, a
(06:41):
vice versus. So we have a lot of food scraps
and and compost is a big thing. And Vermont, you know,
a few years ago, made it law that you have
to compost. So compost is becoming a much bigger thing,
and it's becoming a big challenge for for everyone. Both
the consumer and also us as the hauler.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
All right, so composting one oh one, because I am
not I know a little, I don't know a lot.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
So I actually I may ask you what seems to
be a really.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Dumb question, but I'm pretty sure I'm probably not the
only person who's unaware.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
Give me, why is that why you transferred from Syracuse?
Because you only even knew a little bit and.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
I couldn't get into the communications school. I wasn't smart enough. Thanks, Joe,
appreciate it. But all right, all right, I'll crack on
you for your education later. Don't worry about it.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
I'm still pangs doudo loans there, So it's cool, okay.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Compost one oh one, Like general household things everybody's got,
or well, like I just.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
We just ate dinner.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
I've got some food that I might throw in the
fridge because we're gonna save it. But I've got some
food that's just not gonna say, well, not worth it.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
Like what's the general rule of thumb?
Speaker 4 (07:47):
Yeah, so you know, m has goes by solid waste districts,
So we have ten or eleven solid waste districts in
the state. So in Chitten County at chitten Solid Waste,
so all the composts in Chittening County goes to chitten
Salt Remountain Composts. Their policy is their food scraps only,
so not compostable paper towels or forks or Trader Joe
(08:10):
wooden spoons that are compostable, those cannot go in chitting
County compost. So in Chitta County it's very simple. It's
just food wys, so you know, eggshells or leftover meats,
you know, things of that sort. Outside of Chittning County,
you're allowed to do everything that is compostable, so you know,
(08:31):
the paper towels and the compostable plastic wear and things
of that. Bones quirks to wine bottles, things of that
sort are all compostable.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
So you know, it's a little different.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
So we spend a lot of time educating our customers
on what is compostable and what's not. The other challenge
we have are the people who do compost of how
to keep that compost safe and secure because we have
a lot of animals, a lot of bear issues, all
of them ot especially in places like Stow and Waterberry
and and more rural areas.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Although I did see.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
A video of a bear roaming around Willston this weekend,
So they're every place, Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
I didn't see that in my backyard.
Speaker 4 (09:19):
No, I don't think your backyard, but it was. So
you know that you need to secure your containers. So
some people use at home remedies where it's using a
bunge of cord to keep the lids down because of
course the raccoons and possums they're just trying to get
into the container to get it.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
So if they can't get into.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
It, bears are a little harder because they will just
you know, knock the can over and beat up the can.
So a lot of people will keep their compost in
their garage if it's possible, or keep it in a
enclosed area. Put people in Stow are using electric fences
to keep animals outside of both their trash and so
(10:00):
it's a huge issue that we're dealing with. You know,
the state of Vermont has spent a lot of time
trying to figure out a good way to solve this
animal issue, which we haven't figured it out yet, but
we're we're getting close.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
I hope, you know, we're hoping.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
Is it not maybe like like the material of a bin.
Speaker 4 (10:22):
Well, the problem is that you know that the animals
are backed to the scent of it, so they go
and the bears, especially bears. They were all animals, but bears,
because of their size, they're going to do anything to
try to get into that container. So that means knocking it.
It doesn't matter what it is. So you know they'll
climb on top of a dumpster and jump up and
(10:44):
down until they break through the top. You know they're
just trying to So you know, there are at home remedies,
things like mixing bleaching water and a water bottle and
spring it on a dumpster. You know that you're trying
to mask the odor, and you're just now of course,
all you're doing is pushing the bear down to the
next dumpster or the next toe.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
No longer, you're.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Still our problem, because the next s can was still.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Still your problem, not my problem as the home owner,
exactly exactly.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
So things like that, you know, mothballs, raccoons and possum
and skunks. I don't like to spell mothballs, so we
tell people spread mothballs around, you know, with your dumpster
and the lids and stuff like that to to you know,
push them away, so things like that. But really, at
the end of the day, keep your totes secure, either
(11:38):
in a garage or you know, in a locked area
or you know, behind a larger enclosed area.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
So is this our million dollar idea?
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Like if we come up with some kind of like
animal repellent for people to put on their composting bins.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Yeah, it would be it would be great.
Speaker 4 (11:57):
Probably not for me since as a city boy, anything
that scurries kind of you know, I go the other way.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
So probably not for me, but sure.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
I have an idea.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Can it be underground, so like you have like a
little shoot, like a little food shoot, feeds it down
like kind of like your like propane right when the
propane guys got to calm fill the propane for people,
it's like in the.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
Ground, but you still got to get it out.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Well that's that's your problem, your problem, not the homeowner,
all right. But so there can be like a lid
that's like I don't know, covered in some dummy grass
and you just like.
Speaker 3 (12:34):
I don't know something you.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
No, No, it's inside that idea. There is some more
like aceptic tank.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
You know, you have a lid that you take off
and the septic the sewage is in the in the ground.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Yeah, you just think how like how long does it
take the food to compost? Like if you did that
and then they come clear your compost like every six months.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Like, well, of course it has to be turned over.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
So you know, so now we need like a motor
down there.
Speaker 4 (13:02):
Roles right, or a hand crank or something of that sort.
So and people have those in their backyards. You know,
you can buy them from a big box store, you know,
and and break down the compost. So, you know, you
have a lot of people who are passionate about the
environment and are passionate about limiting because you know, keep
in mind, we only have one landfill in Vermont, so
eventually that landfill is going to be full, so we
(13:24):
got to really be aware of what we're putting into
that and also any of that waste that goes to coventry.
You're talking about you know, your trucking that. So now
you're talking about, you know, damage the environment for fossil
fuels and manpower and wear and tear on roads. It's
it's a whole so more things we can do to
(13:45):
limit the amount of food waste that we're creating that
we're disposing of will help us all in the long run.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Since I'm on the topic of my problem, your problem
is this landfill situation of how it will eventually fill.
Is that like a like an hour lifetime? Is that
like a couple of years saying at ten years, of
twenty years, of fifty years, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (14:04):
I mean yeah, in our lifetime. You know, they're saying
anywhere seven to ten years, So it's not it's not
far away. And communities aren't quick to want a landfill
in there in their town, So I don't think we're
gonna see one again in Vermont anytime soon. So that
means now trash would have had to be hauled, you know,
(14:24):
to to New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire. So you're talking
about the cost of doing that, you know.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
Is great, and then that affects me because now it's
gonna cost more for my trash pickup. And people are
already kind of unhappy at times when cost of anything
goes up.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
But so is composing.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
Like you were saying, how in chinin in it's food only,
so like if something non food gets thrown in there,
does it get weeded out?
Speaker 3 (14:53):
The same way with recycling does.
Speaker 4 (14:55):
Correct correct so products that go to Green Mountain compos
Our guy dump dumps his load on on the ground,
they call it. And if things are obvious, you know,
oftentimes people will like when trash and recycling, you know,
they have the bag of trash, and like we see
a lot of bathroom trash. You know, people have the
little trash can in the bathroom. They have the little
(15:16):
bag and they carry it out throwing the dumpster. You know,
they inadvertently throw it in the compost. So you know,
when the driver sees that one little plastic bag, they
can pull it out and grab it, uh yeah, or
or you know, often they just grab it with their hands,
you know. Other times it's harder, you know, because it's
(15:37):
you know inside, you know, if it's a tote and
you know that's halfway full.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
We have a lot of issues.
Speaker 4 (15:44):
You know, diapers people think are compostable because of human waste,
and it's not because both human and animal wastes are
not compostable, so those can't can't go in the in it,
so it is a it is a challenge. And then
of course we have composts that has left outdoors. We
(16:06):
have contamination issues from people who are just you know,
walking by. You know, there's an open tote and they
throw trash in there.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
So it is a challenge that are those guys that
your compost guys deserve a raise.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
I don't know what they make, but they deserve a.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Raise they do.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
You know, it's a hard job because you're also you know,
trash in a dumpster, you're mixing it with other things
in trash of course composts. It's all compostable items and
majority of this food, so especially in the summertime. You
can imagine the odor that comes along, and you can
imagine the weight and things of that sort that go
(16:43):
along with it. So yeah, it's it's a hard job
because they also have to walk up and grab the
tote and roll it back to the truck and things
like that.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
So we do a lot of big corporate.
Speaker 4 (16:54):
Clients, so places like the prison in South Burlington and
Saint Albans and Newport. You know, you can imagine the
volume of compostable items they're producing, so you know, it's
it's a hard job.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
Do they sort them?
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Well, I feel like it's probably someone's job, so they
probably it gets paid attention to, maybe more than at
other places they.
Speaker 4 (17:13):
Do, and we're we're now at the point where the
people who are composting, and they're composting religiously, they're doing
a very good.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Job at it.
Speaker 4 (17:23):
You know, Florist is another one that does a good
job at composting. They're sorting and things of that sort.
So and that can go to different places. You know,
hood Acts in sant Albans takes a lot of those
types of compostable items, which is great.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
So if something's compostable, but you can't echin in county,
do it right, So like composable spoons, is it automatically
it's recyclable.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
Is that a dumb question?
Speaker 4 (17:50):
Or no, it would be trash because a lot of
times there's gonna be food waste on that. So if
you have compostable fork, there's typically would be for waist time.
Now of course, if you if you clean it and
then you recycle it, then yes, they can go and
recyclable and recycling. But bones, for example, are are trash,
(18:12):
so they're not recyclable and they're not compost they have
to go and go.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
In the trash. Eggshells eggshell same thing. They're well, eggshells
are food, so they are compostable.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
Oh, they are coable.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Okay, yeah, yeah, eggshells are interesting.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
I heard a hack.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
I don't know if it's actually a hack someone I knew.
I guess they had a lot of freezer space. They
just get like big freezer bags and fill those with
their compostable food and you know, shut it, throw it
in the chest freezer. And then the day that their
residential compost people come or whatever, then they just throw
the frozen bags and then they get to take them
(18:49):
and so then they don't deal with I think the smell,
the animals and all of that.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
That tracks.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
That makes sense absolutely.
Speaker 4 (18:55):
We have people who do that at our facility here
in cold Chesture. People can bring trash, recite on compost
to our facilities.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
So we do see people who.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
Come in with small, you know, five doallon pails or
freezer bags. Now, of course, when you do the freezer bag,
you have to take the bag, you have to take
the product out of the bag.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
See that's I didn't think that there's no such thing
as compostable. Well, it needs to be food scraps.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
Correct.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Oh see here I was like, oh, they got to
figure it out, just drop it in. But no, because
technically they got to dump it out, but.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
Right, but they cant a lot of people we see
it here.
Speaker 4 (19:29):
They just take a knife or a scissor and they
just cut the bag and they just you peel it off,
no different than you know when you're taking something outside
the freezer.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
And then just to clarify, so you guys don't get
a whole bunch of phone calls of people being like,
come be my residential composter.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
You guys, what do you what are you offer.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
Composting for commercial right now? But people are able to
come up tell it.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
Yeah, So right now we only do commercial composts composting
partially because there isn't a good way to collect posts
on a smaller scale. We use thirty two gallon containers,
so that's about half the size of the tots that
you might see on the street corner. Well, thirty two
gallons of composts. It's a lot of food scraps. So
(20:13):
an average household, even with picky kids eaters, you're not
going to fill that thirty two gallon. You know, it's
going to take you a month to fill it. So
no one's going to want to keep food scraps in
their garage for a month and the smaller three and
five dollon pails that people will want, there's just no
(20:34):
easy way of collection for that because you're talking because
as it is, it's a separate truck that picks up
the compost now, so you would have to have a
fourth truck picking up stuff and it's just not feasible.
So thirty two gallon totes are for commercial establishment, so restaurants,
apartment buildings, larger areas. You know, we do have some
(20:56):
homeowners association who have a community compost leave it at
their community pool or stuff like that. So the twenty
or thirty houses but can dump every day and then
you can it makes sense to dumb it once a week,
so people can do that as well. But here at
Eversodi in Colchester, people can come in, you know, any
day during the week with their bag trash, their recyclles
(21:19):
or their composts as well as all their construction debris
and have either have it recycled correctly or trash is
the post disposed of. So we we get a steady
line of people coming here every day getting rid of
getting rid of their waist perfect.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
I like it, do you guys? I feel like I
want to come make like a fun video over there
at Myers and.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Being like like the garbage compost recycle police, and like, like,
I get nervous right sometimes when you're at like a
restaurant and then you have to like sort your own
I'm like, oh.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
God, oh God, what do I do that.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
I feel like if I work, like at the Myers
building with you guys, I'd be like, well, I don't
know the right place to put my garbage, and people
are gonna judge me and question me and be like Aaron,
what are you doing?
Speaker 4 (22:02):
Well, well listen, And we run into it all the
time too, because we have people who bring up We
get a lot of stuff where people say, I just
don't know what to do with it. So styrofoam is
a big thing. People think styrofoam is recyclable and it
should be recycled. Unfortunately and Vermont it isn't. There isn't
a place for it to be recycled. So we get
people come in with you know, you know, they get
(22:25):
a new couch, they get stuff like that, and they
have this so it goes into trash and a lot
of times they look at it go why is it
going in the trash. So you know, it's a learning
experience and a time to educate people. But yeah, it
is a challenge and our guys and gals work hard
at it sorting it because it's not just that you know,
we're we're getting computers and you know, electronic waste and
(22:48):
construction debris and refrigerators and things of that sort. So
it is it takes a lot and a lot of
different piles to make sure we're doing it all the
right way.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
To be fair, I wasn't saying and be intimidated as
a customer to come in recycle because you would tell me,
I mean internally, like in the office, like like Joe
just ate.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
His lunch, He's going to throw it out.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
I want there to be someone with a big buzzer
that goes off if you like drop your cup and.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Oh no, we do.
Speaker 4 (23:15):
I mean you walk into our lunch room any day
and you see people, you know, finishing their lunch and
they walk over and we have you know, trash recycle
composts in the lunch room and you see them sort
of you know, and sometimes you get people, you know,
deering head of lights.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Where do I go with everything?
Speaker 4 (23:29):
And it's always or the new hires are always the best,
you know, because they are really nervous about well, I
want to make the right impression.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
And then of course we sometimes have fun with them.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
That's when you got to bring like an air horn
on their first day, like oh, and then make sure
you sort your lunch.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
And if you don't know, big deal, we just go
like this or like ring a bell and they'll be
real nervous about it.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
Absolutely, absolutely, but but it is it is important, you know,
to go to come full circle here that you know,
we only have one landfill left to the state, so
it's important to.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
Know diversify as much as possible.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
All right, anything else about composting before we do trash?
You're not for this week?
Speaker 4 (24:07):
Yeah, no, I think we knocked it out of the park.
And people can always go to our website to learn
more and always call us. You know, we love we
love to talk about trash, so we welcome anyone to give
us a call.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
Whoever the go to question taker is, you should start
asking them to keep them for you and then we
could answer them on the podcast because every now and then,
like if one person has the guts to call you
guys with the question. A lot of people are probably
wondering the question.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
Absolutely, and that's a great idea we'll have that.
Speaker 4 (24:36):
I'll send around a note to everyone in the office
to start compiling the questions.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
I wish there was like just one person who fielded them,
because we could just have them on every now and
then and just be like, all right, what questions did
we get this week?
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Well, you know, not to sidetrack.
Speaker 4 (24:51):
We talk a lot about on podcasts how we're a
family business and Jeff started this with his boys. So
one of the things that Jeff has really pushed here
is that we will now never go to an automated system,
so you will never have push one and number two.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
We all do.
Speaker 4 (25:08):
Everyone does everything here. So the phone rings you pick
it up, so from the general manager all the way
down to you know, the person sorting trash, the phone rings.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
You pick it up. So and Jeff doesn't.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
Like phone calls being transferred, so you know, the whole
being cross trained here is important. And that's why you
know we can all do something. And that's why I've
done a trash route and I've driven rode on a
truck and picked up totes and why I answer the
phone and take a call because it's it's really the
full circle moment of being a family business.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
I love it. I love it.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
Who needs undercover boss when you work for Jeff Myers.
He's been doing that long before the TV show came out. Absolutely,
I love it all right, Trash, you're not what you guys.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
Trash you're not.
Speaker 4 (25:54):
And I think this is a good one because sometimes
I get criticized, are picked on because I like to
push the envelope a little bit. And I live in
the Gray Area. So this is one time where I
lived in the Gray Area. And I know, Aaron, you've
been traveling some with your kids, So trash you're not.
(26:14):
You don't fully tell the truth, or you don't fully
answer a question when it comes to.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
Discounted discounts in relations to.
Speaker 3 (26:27):
Your children to how old they are, Yeah, how.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Old they are?
Speaker 4 (26:31):
Or what's the definition of a child or yeah, I'm
pretty sure.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
I'm pretty sure I was getting into the movies on
the like under ten rate until I was like sixteen
years old because my mom my mom was definitely a
age fib and that might be why I will fib.
But I usually think of like the spirit of the
rule or like how much are we you know, it's said,
(26:58):
how going to be using what you know? Is it
worth it? I hate to say that, but I mean
it may be a little trashy. I think also it
maybe depends.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
On what you're doing or where you're going, or.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Who's benefiting from the financial gain of you being honest.
Speaker 3 (27:16):
But I don't know. I don't want to say it's
trashy because I'm definitely guilty.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
So last summer, we were out of state and we
went to a state park in another not Vermont state,
and there was a sign that had the prices for
you know, adults and children, and it said children you know,
under twelve was X amount of dollars. So I pull
up and they said how many and I said two
adults and my child. And he says, okay, and you
(27:44):
know I paid the child. He didn't ask, and I said,
and she was my child, and I paid the child. Now,
of course she was nineteen, so you know she was
an adult, but she was my child.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
So yeah, no, I agree, especially if they're like vague
like that and they don't ask, then you weren't you
just left information out that's maybe kind of on them.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
For not asking you, Oh how old?
Speaker 2 (28:10):
But what about like kids eat free?
Speaker 4 (28:11):
You know, you go to a restaurant and you know,
on Monday nights it's kids eat free with you know,
adult entree.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
So you go with your two kids and you get
you know.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Or you get that you know right, or just what
if you just want to get something off the kids
menu or the kids menu has the age sometimes it'll
say like twelve, and then you're like, well, they're thirteen,
but they just want.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
Something off the kids menu, So we're gonna go with twelve.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
I'd go with twelve exactly.
Speaker 4 (28:37):
So not trashy because we because it is trashy, but
we do it so it's not trashy.
Speaker 3 (28:42):
So it's like low key. It's like on my like
trash scale.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
It's like hered like we're we're barely well. Do you
remember penny a pound night at the ground round? I
feel like I don't think they're still open. That's when
like you can't lie on it. We used to do
that all the time in Connecticut because there's one right
around the corner, and we were all very little kids,
so I think we were having like forty five cent
dinner for a long time. Yeah, absolutely, Yeah, but you
(29:10):
can't lie on that one, so that's helpful.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
We went to a place on vacation where.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
The the kids age like six to seventeen was more
expensive than the adult or the under six because it
was a place that like that those that's the age
groups that was going to use most of the things.
All right, but you don't usually see that right where
like more than Yeah, is it trashy to say you're
a senior before you're senior?
Speaker 3 (29:35):
Well you will you start doing that you got the hair.
Speaker 4 (29:37):
No, absolutely, And that's a good one because I know
a lot of people say, oh, I'm a you know,
I'm a senior or whatever. So no, absolutely, I live.
I live in the gray world. So I'll take any
discount you give me. So some have some morals.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
I won't use one.
Speaker 3 (29:53):
So I have some morals.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
If it's the fundraiser, will pay full price, just to
let the world the record show it's a fundraiser, will
pay full price, right right.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
Or I won't.
Speaker 4 (30:01):
I won't say I'm a Vedan if I'm you know,
not a vester, and that's yeah, that's you. But yeah,
somebody wants to give me a senior discount, I'll take Oh.
Speaker 3 (30:09):
Yeah, thanks, thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
All right, I would love to hear actually, how many
of you have also done this and if it's something
you share with people, or if it's just something we
all do we just don't always talk about. Comment for
us below, like us, subscribe to us, share your podcast
with us. You never know what we'll have. Each week,
usually we have a guest talking about giving back in
our community. This week we talked about giving back by
(30:32):
helping keep a little bit more out of the Landfall landfill,
by encouraging that you continue composting like good Vermontors do.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
Have a good week.
Hey everyone, and welcome to another edition of the Trash
Talking and Giving Back Podcast. I'm Aaron Kofield Barker. This
is Joe Sinagra, my lovely co host. He works at
Myers Containers. He does it all this week. No guests
for you all. We are just gonna pick Joe's brain
and see how good he really is at his job.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I appreciate that, so we'll do our best.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
And I did not send Joe any idea of what
we'd be asking, so we'll have to see if we
catch him in anything he's unsure of. I feel like, Joe,
how do you handle that when someone asks you something?
Are you like a BS or makes up up? Or
are you just like you know what?
Speaker 3 (00:50):
I'm not sure like I'll get back to you.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
Yeah, That's why I did well at college because I
know just enough about a lot of stuff and I
can bes my way around. Let's see, you ask for
forgiveness and permission, so we'll just make it up. So
it's my own life. That's why my you know, raising
kids was so much easier. You just just wing it, just.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Banging figured it out. They're still alive.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
They both almost are out of the house like you're good,
You're exactly.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
I've got a long ways to go.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
With the three and a half year old and the
nineteen month old, I had the classic.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Actually, here's a good question. Are your kids like the classic?
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Like first child it was a little bit more like
buttoned up, prim and proper, and then second was like
the wild child.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
Absolutely, And we were just talking about this recently, where
the second child seemed to be more of the picky
eater and the picky, pickier person in life, you know, like,
you know, I think it's a boy and girl thing too,
you know, because my daughter's the younger one and she's
always a little more particular about you know, how she
left the house and you know what we're having for
(01:55):
stacks and stuff like that, where my son was kind.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Of like, you know whatever, But.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Yeah, yeah, and years are a lot older mine are, obviously,
we're younger and Kurt, Like yesterday, Jack was like lining
up his cars and the driveway all nice and neat,
and then I took a picture of Ellie because she
was a hot mess from daycare, just like hair everywhere, dirt.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Everywhere, and I was just like, man, that second child,
they just don't.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Give f Absolutely the closest we've gone a swearing on
the podcast.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
We haven't done it yet.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
Still early, still early, all right, but also going on
in your life, not too.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
Much, you know, the round here, you know, as the
summer truck's along, guys are out there working, you know,
summertime seems to be more. The second largest volume of
waste is created typically in August, so we're right in
the middle of that kind of heavy season of waste
(02:53):
and recycling. So guys are working hard. But it's good.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
Why August, I was assuming the first is like Christmas
time or Christmas time, Yeah, by August.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
So August people are coming out of the vacation time
and preparing for like back to school and stuff like that,
back to school shopping, so a lot of people are
like purging, like, oh, before we bring, you know, like
my parents always said, you know, before you can bring
something new and now resetting and old.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
So a lot of people do that.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
So there's a lot of purging of that stuff and
people beginning the process of kind of getting prepared for
fall and those projects that you're supposed to do in May,
you know you pushed off, you don't cleaning the garage,
things like that, so back to school, you know, like
I'm seeing, Well, some schools in the South are already back,
you know, when colleges are going back in a couple
of weeks. So yeah, we see a big, big uptick
(03:45):
in August.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
How does it go down at your house? Are you
the purger or the saver?
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (03:51):
You know, so I used to be the pursuer, but
as we accumulated more stuff and my wife got older,
their roles reversed. So she is the get rid of
stuff and everything in between. So I tell the funny
story that when we were moving, Uh, there was an
(04:12):
old music box that my parents had in their house
that we had, and of course it accidentally went into
purge pile.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
And is you know, has certain spin.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Still got I feel like you told it. I feel
like you told that story here on the podcast that
she hadn't maybe noticed yet that I.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Haven't noticed yet.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Thankfully, so she must.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
Yeah, but hopefully when she, you know, listens to this week, she'll, uh,
she'll I'll get in trouble. I got in trouble last
night at Trader Joe. So you know, it's all, it's all.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Part of it.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
What did you do there?
Speaker 4 (04:48):
We are checking out and the checkout person made it.
You know, the Trader Joe's people, I think they're they're
instructed to like, you know, like fort and talk and.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
All this other stuff. So she was very nice. She
was talking.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
There was the three of us and she was talking,
making all and I made a crude comment about my
wife that the lady didn't pick up on, thankfully, and
I looked and I got the look for my wife.
And then when we got in the cars, she instructed
me that the college jokes, I think are long past due.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
So boy, I have a few comments about this. I
do believe they're instructed to interact. I'm not sure flirt
is the word the oriental word in the handbook of
what the trader jokes.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
No, they definitely are, because my wife came home and
if we had her on, she would tell the story.
She said, get you love Trader Joe's, and that there
was a person there who would flirt with her all
the time. And she would say she one time and
asked where like the cream cheese were or something, and
he's like, I'll show you where my cream cheese is.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
And she got.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
To yeah, absolutely, well, that's kind of amazing. I didn't
I did any even here.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
I was kind of making you be a little bit
of like a weirdo thing. And the Trader Joe's people
are always trying to flirt with you.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
But oh no, I know, I gotta go.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Maybe I always end up in the female line. I
got to go in the male line a couple of times.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
And the female line it is Vermont.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Yeah, that is very true, very true, very true.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
All right, you have to figure out where to go
from here, and you want to start talking composting, you got.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
Well, no, a good transition, because you know, there is
a lot of food waste, and you know, it's a
struggle in my house that I have some I have
one child who's a big leftover fan, and I have
another child who does and you know, it's the old
joke of you know, usually in every relationship there's the
one who eats the food two days past expiration, a
(06:41):
vice versus. So we have a lot of food scraps
and and compost is a big thing. And Vermont, you know,
a few years ago, made it law that you have
to compost. So compost is becoming a much bigger thing,
and it's becoming a big challenge for for everyone. Both
the consumer and also us as the hauler.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
All right, so composting one oh one, because I am
not I know a little, I don't know a lot.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
So I actually I may ask you what seems to
be a really.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Dumb question, but I'm pretty sure I'm probably not the
only person who's unaware.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
Give me, why is that why you transferred from Syracuse?
Because you only even knew a little bit and.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
I couldn't get into the communications school. I wasn't smart enough. Thanks, Joe,
appreciate it. But all right, all right, I'll crack on
you for your education later. Don't worry about it.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
I'm still pangs doudo loans there, So it's cool, okay.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Compost one oh one, Like general household things everybody's got,
or well, like I just.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
We just ate dinner.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
I've got some food that I might throw in the
fridge because we're gonna save it. But I've got some
food that's just not gonna say, well, not worth it.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
Like what's the general rule of thumb?
Speaker 4 (07:47):
Yeah, so you know, m has goes by solid waste districts,
So we have ten or eleven solid waste districts in
the state. So in Chitten County at chitten Solid Waste,
so all the composts in Chittening County goes to chitten
Salt Remountain Composts. Their policy is their food scraps only,
so not compostable paper towels or forks or Trader Joe
(08:10):
wooden spoons that are compostable, those cannot go in chitting
County compost. So in Chitta County it's very simple. It's
just food wys, so you know, eggshells or leftover meats,
you know, things of that sort. Outside of Chittning County,
you're allowed to do everything that is compostable, so you know,
(08:31):
the paper towels and the compostable plastic wear and things
of that. Bones quirks to wine bottles, things of that
sort are all compostable.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
So you know, it's a little different.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
So we spend a lot of time educating our customers
on what is compostable and what's not. The other challenge
we have are the people who do compost of how
to keep that compost safe and secure because we have
a lot of animals, a lot of bear issues, all
of them ot especially in places like Stow and Waterberry
and and more rural areas.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Although I did see.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
A video of a bear roaming around Willston this weekend,
So they're every place, Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
I didn't see that in my backyard.
Speaker 4 (09:19):
No, I don't think your backyard, but it was. So
you know that you need to secure your containers. So
some people use at home remedies where it's using a
bunge of cord to keep the lids down because of
course the raccoons and possums they're just trying to get
into the container to get it.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
So if they can't get into.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
It, bears are a little harder because they will just
you know, knock the can over and beat up the can.
So a lot of people will keep their compost in
their garage if it's possible, or keep it in a
enclosed area. Put people in Stow are using electric fences
to keep animals outside of both their trash and so
(10:00):
it's a huge issue that we're dealing with. You know,
the state of Vermont has spent a lot of time
trying to figure out a good way to solve this
animal issue, which we haven't figured it out yet, but
we're we're getting close.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
I hope, you know, we're hoping.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
Is it not maybe like like the material of a bin.
Speaker 4 (10:22):
Well, the problem is that you know that the animals
are backed to the scent of it, so they go
and the bears, especially bears. They were all animals, but bears,
because of their size, they're going to do anything to
try to get into that container. So that means knocking it.
It doesn't matter what it is. So you know they'll
climb on top of a dumpster and jump up and
(10:44):
down until they break through the top. You know they're
just trying to So you know, there are at home remedies,
things like mixing bleaching water and a water bottle and
spring it on a dumpster. You know that you're trying
to mask the odor, and you're just now of course,
all you're doing is pushing the bear down to the
next dumpster or the next toe.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
No longer, you're.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Still our problem, because the next s can was still.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Still your problem, not my problem as the home owner,
exactly exactly.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
So things like that, you know, mothballs, raccoons and possum
and skunks. I don't like to spell mothballs, so we
tell people spread mothballs around, you know, with your dumpster
and the lids and stuff like that to to you know,
push them away, so things like that. But really, at
the end of the day, keep your totes secure, either
(11:38):
in a garage or you know, in a locked area
or you know, behind a larger enclosed area.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
So is this our million dollar idea?
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Like if we come up with some kind of like
animal repellent for people to put on their composting bins.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Yeah, it would be it would be great.
Speaker 4 (11:57):
Probably not for me since as a city boy, anything
that scurries kind of you know, I go the other way.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
So probably not for me, but sure.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
I have an idea.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Can it be underground, so like you have like a
little shoot, like a little food shoot, feeds it down
like kind of like your like propane right when the
propane guys got to calm fill the propane for people,
it's like in the.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
Ground, but you still got to get it out.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Well that's that's your problem, your problem, not the homeowner,
all right. But so there can be like a lid
that's like I don't know, covered in some dummy grass
and you just like.
Speaker 3 (12:34):
I don't know something you.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
No, No, it's inside that idea. There is some more
like aceptic tank.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
You know, you have a lid that you take off
and the septic the sewage is in the in the ground.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Yeah, you just think how like how long does it
take the food to compost? Like if you did that
and then they come clear your compost like every six months.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Like, well, of course it has to be turned over.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
So you know, so now we need like a motor
down there.
Speaker 4 (13:02):
Roles right, or a hand crank or something of that sort.
So and people have those in their backyards. You know,
you can buy them from a big box store, you know,
and and break down the compost. So, you know, you
have a lot of people who are passionate about the
environment and are passionate about limiting because you know, keep
in mind, we only have one landfill in Vermont, so
eventually that landfill is going to be full, so we
(13:24):
got to really be aware of what we're putting into
that and also any of that waste that goes to coventry.
You're talking about you know, your trucking that. So now
you're talking about, you know, damage the environment for fossil
fuels and manpower and wear and tear on roads. It's
it's a whole so more things we can do to
(13:45):
limit the amount of food waste that we're creating that
we're disposing of will help us all in the long run.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Since I'm on the topic of my problem, your problem
is this landfill situation of how it will eventually fill.
Is that like a like an hour lifetime? Is that
like a couple of years saying at ten years, of
twenty years, of fifty years, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (14:04):
I mean yeah, in our lifetime. You know, they're saying
anywhere seven to ten years, So it's not it's not
far away. And communities aren't quick to want a landfill
in there in their town, So I don't think we're
gonna see one again in Vermont anytime soon. So that
means now trash would have had to be hauled, you know,
(14:24):
to to New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire. So you're talking
about the cost of doing that, you know.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
Is great, and then that affects me because now it's
gonna cost more for my trash pickup. And people are
already kind of unhappy at times when cost of anything
goes up.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
But so is composing.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
Like you were saying, how in chinin in it's food only,
so like if something non food gets thrown in there,
does it get weeded out?
Speaker 3 (14:53):
The same way with recycling does.
Speaker 4 (14:55):
Correct correct so products that go to Green Mountain compos
Our guy dump dumps his load on on the ground,
they call it. And if things are obvious, you know,
oftentimes people will like when trash and recycling, you know,
they have the bag of trash, and like we see
a lot of bathroom trash. You know, people have the
little trash can in the bathroom. They have the little
(15:16):
bag and they carry it out throwing the dumpster. You know,
they inadvertently throw it in the compost. So you know,
when the driver sees that one little plastic bag, they
can pull it out and grab it, uh yeah, or
or you know, often they just grab it with their hands,
you know. Other times it's harder, you know, because it's
(15:37):
you know inside, you know, if it's a tote and
you know that's halfway full.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
We have a lot of issues.
Speaker 4 (15:44):
You know, diapers people think are compostable because of human waste,
and it's not because both human and animal wastes are
not compostable, so those can't can't go in the in it,
so it is a it is a challenge. And then
of course we have composts that has left outdoors. We
(16:06):
have contamination issues from people who are just you know,
walking by. You know, there's an open tote and they
throw trash in there.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
So it is a challenge that are those guys that
your compost guys deserve a raise.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
I don't know what they make, but they deserve a.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Raise they do.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
You know, it's a hard job because you're also you know,
trash in a dumpster, you're mixing it with other things
in trash of course composts. It's all compostable items and
majority of this food, so especially in the summertime. You
can imagine the odor that comes along, and you can
imagine the weight and things of that sort that go
(16:43):
along with it. So yeah, it's it's a hard job
because they also have to walk up and grab the
tote and roll it back to the truck and things
like that.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
So we do a lot of big corporate.
Speaker 4 (16:54):
Clients, so places like the prison in South Burlington and
Saint Albans and Newport. You know, you can imagine the
volume of compostable items they're producing, so you know, it's
it's a hard job.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
Do they sort them?
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Well, I feel like it's probably someone's job, so they
probably it gets paid attention to, maybe more than at
other places they.
Speaker 4 (17:13):
Do, and we're we're now at the point where the
people who are composting, and they're composting religiously, they're doing
a very good.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Job at it.
Speaker 4 (17:23):
You know, Florist is another one that does a good
job at composting. They're sorting and things of that sort.
So and that can go to different places. You know,
hood Acts in sant Albans takes a lot of those
types of compostable items, which is great.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
So if something's compostable, but you can't echin in county,
do it right, So like composable spoons, is it automatically
it's recyclable.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
Is that a dumb question?
Speaker 4 (17:50):
Or no, it would be trash because a lot of
times there's gonna be food waste on that. So if
you have compostable fork, there's typically would be for waist time.
Now of course, if you if you clean it and
then you recycle it, then yes, they can go and
recyclable and recycling. But bones, for example, are are trash,
(18:12):
so they're not recyclable and they're not compost they have
to go and go.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
In the trash. Eggshells eggshell same thing. They're well, eggshells
are food, so they are compostable.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
Oh, they are coable.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Okay, yeah, yeah, eggshells are interesting.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
I heard a hack.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
I don't know if it's actually a hack someone I knew.
I guess they had a lot of freezer space. They
just get like big freezer bags and fill those with
their compostable food and you know, shut it, throw it
in the chest freezer. And then the day that their
residential compost people come or whatever, then they just throw
the frozen bags and then they get to take them
(18:49):
and so then they don't deal with I think the smell,
the animals and all of that.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
That tracks.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
That makes sense absolutely.
Speaker 4 (18:55):
We have people who do that at our facility here
in cold Chesture. People can bring trash, recite on compost
to our facilities.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
So we do see people who.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
Come in with small, you know, five doallon pails or
freezer bags. Now, of course, when you do the freezer bag,
you have to take the bag, you have to take
the product out of the bag.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
See that's I didn't think that there's no such thing
as compostable. Well, it needs to be food scraps.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
Correct.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Oh see here I was like, oh, they got to
figure it out, just drop it in. But no, because
technically they got to dump it out, but.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
Right, but they cant a lot of people we see
it here.
Speaker 4 (19:29):
They just take a knife or a scissor and they
just cut the bag and they just you peel it off,
no different than you know when you're taking something outside
the freezer.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
And then just to clarify, so you guys don't get
a whole bunch of phone calls of people being like,
come be my residential composter.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
You guys, what do you what are you offer.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
Composting for commercial right now? But people are able to
come up tell it.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
Yeah, So right now we only do commercial composts composting
partially because there isn't a good way to collect posts
on a smaller scale. We use thirty two gallon containers,
so that's about half the size of the tots that
you might see on the street corner. Well, thirty two
gallons of composts. It's a lot of food scraps. So
(20:13):
an average household, even with picky kids eaters, you're not
going to fill that thirty two gallon. You know, it's
going to take you a month to fill it. So
no one's going to want to keep food scraps in
their garage for a month and the smaller three and
five dollon pails that people will want, there's just no
(20:34):
easy way of collection for that because you're talking because
as it is, it's a separate truck that picks up
the compost now, so you would have to have a
fourth truck picking up stuff and it's just not feasible.
So thirty two gallon totes are for commercial establishment, so restaurants,
apartment buildings, larger areas. You know, we do have some
(20:56):
homeowners association who have a community compost leave it at
their community pool or stuff like that. So the twenty
or thirty houses but can dump every day and then
you can it makes sense to dumb it once a week,
so people can do that as well. But here at
Eversodi in Colchester, people can come in, you know, any
day during the week with their bag trash, their recyclles
(21:19):
or their composts as well as all their construction debris
and have either have it recycled correctly or trash is
the post disposed of. So we we get a steady
line of people coming here every day getting rid of
getting rid of their waist perfect.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
I like it, do you guys? I feel like I
want to come make like a fun video over there
at Myers and.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Being like like the garbage compost recycle police, and like, like,
I get nervous right sometimes when you're at like a
restaurant and then you have to like sort your own
I'm like, oh.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
God, oh God, what do I do that.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
I feel like if I work, like at the Myers
building with you guys, I'd be like, well, I don't
know the right place to put my garbage, and people
are gonna judge me and question me and be like Aaron,
what are you doing?
Speaker 4 (22:02):
Well, well listen, And we run into it all the
time too, because we have people who bring up We
get a lot of stuff where people say, I just
don't know what to do with it. So styrofoam is
a big thing. People think styrofoam is recyclable and it
should be recycled. Unfortunately and Vermont it isn't. There isn't
a place for it to be recycled. So we get
people come in with you know, you know, they get
(22:25):
a new couch, they get stuff like that, and they
have this so it goes into trash and a lot
of times they look at it go why is it
going in the trash. So you know, it's a learning
experience and a time to educate people. But yeah, it
is a challenge and our guys and gals work hard
at it sorting it because it's not just that you know,
we're we're getting computers and you know, electronic waste and
(22:48):
construction debris and refrigerators and things of that sort. So
it is it takes a lot and a lot of
different piles to make sure we're doing it all the
right way.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
To be fair, I wasn't saying and be intimidated as
a customer to come in recycle because you would tell me,
I mean internally, like in the office, like like Joe
just ate.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
His lunch, He's going to throw it out.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
I want there to be someone with a big buzzer
that goes off if you like drop your cup and.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Oh no, we do.
Speaker 4 (23:15):
I mean you walk into our lunch room any day
and you see people, you know, finishing their lunch and
they walk over and we have you know, trash recycle
composts in the lunch room and you see them sort
of you know, and sometimes you get people, you know,
deering head of lights.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Where do I go with everything?
Speaker 4 (23:29):
And it's always or the new hires are always the best,
you know, because they are really nervous about well, I
want to make the right impression.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
And then of course we sometimes have fun with them.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
That's when you got to bring like an air horn
on their first day, like oh, and then make sure
you sort your lunch.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
And if you don't know, big deal, we just go
like this or like ring a bell and they'll be
real nervous about it.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
Absolutely, absolutely, but but it is it is important, you know,
to go to come full circle here that you know,
we only have one landfill left to the state, so
it's important to.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
Know diversify as much as possible.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
All right, anything else about composting before we do trash?
You're not for this week?
Speaker 4 (24:07):
Yeah, no, I think we knocked it out of the park.
And people can always go to our website to learn
more and always call us. You know, we love we
love to talk about trash, so we welcome anyone to give
us a call.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
Whoever the go to question taker is, you should start
asking them to keep them for you and then we
could answer them on the podcast because every now and then,
like if one person has the guts to call you
guys with the question. A lot of people are probably
wondering the question.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
Absolutely, and that's a great idea we'll have that.
Speaker 4 (24:36):
I'll send around a note to everyone in the office
to start compiling the questions.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
I wish there was like just one person who fielded them,
because we could just have them on every now and
then and just be like, all right, what questions did
we get this week?
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Well, you know, not to sidetrack.
Speaker 4 (24:51):
We talk a lot about on podcasts how we're a
family business and Jeff started this with his boys. So
one of the things that Jeff has really pushed here
is that we will now never go to an automated system,
so you will never have push one and number two.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
We all do.
Speaker 4 (25:08):
Everyone does everything here. So the phone rings you pick
it up, so from the general manager all the way
down to you know, the person sorting trash, the phone rings.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
You pick it up. So and Jeff doesn't.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
Like phone calls being transferred, so you know, the whole
being cross trained here is important. And that's why you
know we can all do something. And that's why I've
done a trash route and I've driven rode on a
truck and picked up totes and why I answer the
phone and take a call because it's it's really the
full circle moment of being a family business.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
I love it. I love it.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
Who needs undercover boss when you work for Jeff Myers.
He's been doing that long before the TV show came out. Absolutely,
I love it all right, Trash, you're not what you guys.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
Trash you're not.
Speaker 4 (25:54):
And I think this is a good one because sometimes
I get criticized, are picked on because I like to
push the envelope a little bit. And I live in
the Gray Area. So this is one time where I
lived in the Gray Area. And I know, Aaron, you've
been traveling some with your kids, So trash you're not.
(26:14):
You don't fully tell the truth, or you don't fully
answer a question when it comes to.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
Discounted discounts in relations to.
Speaker 3 (26:27):
Your children to how old they are, Yeah, how.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Old they are?
Speaker 4 (26:31):
Or what's the definition of a child or yeah, I'm
pretty sure.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
I'm pretty sure I was getting into the movies on
the like under ten rate until I was like sixteen
years old because my mom my mom was definitely a
age fib and that might be why I will fib.
But I usually think of like the spirit of the
rule or like how much are we you know, it's said,
(26:58):
how going to be using what you know? Is it
worth it? I hate to say that, but I mean
it may be a little trashy. I think also it
maybe depends.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
On what you're doing or where you're going, or.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Who's benefiting from the financial gain of you being honest.
Speaker 3 (27:16):
But I don't know. I don't want to say it's
trashy because I'm definitely guilty.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
So last summer, we were out of state and we
went to a state park in another not Vermont state,
and there was a sign that had the prices for
you know, adults and children, and it said children you know,
under twelve was X amount of dollars. So I pull
up and they said how many and I said two
adults and my child. And he says, okay, and you
(27:44):
know I paid the child. He didn't ask, and I said,
and she was my child, and I paid the child. Now,
of course she was nineteen, so you know she was
an adult, but she was my child.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
So yeah, no, I agree, especially if they're like vague
like that and they don't ask, then you weren't you
just left information out that's maybe kind of on them.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
For not asking you, Oh how old?
Speaker 2 (28:10):
But what about like kids eat free?
Speaker 4 (28:11):
You know, you go to a restaurant and you know,
on Monday nights it's kids eat free with you know,
adult entree.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
So you go with your two kids and you get
you know.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Or you get that you know right, or just what
if you just want to get something off the kids
menu or the kids menu has the age sometimes it'll
say like twelve, and then you're like, well, they're thirteen,
but they just want.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
Something off the kids menu, So we're gonna go with twelve.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
I'd go with twelve exactly.
Speaker 4 (28:37):
So not trashy because we because it is trashy, but
we do it so it's not trashy.
Speaker 3 (28:42):
So it's like low key. It's like on my like
trash scale.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
It's like hered like we're we're barely well. Do you
remember penny a pound night at the ground round? I
feel like I don't think they're still open. That's when
like you can't lie on it. We used to do
that all the time in Connecticut because there's one right
around the corner, and we were all very little kids,
so I think we were having like forty five cent
dinner for a long time. Yeah, absolutely, Yeah, but you
(29:10):
can't lie on that one, so that's helpful.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
We went to a place on vacation where.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
The the kids age like six to seventeen was more
expensive than the adult or the under six because it
was a place that like that those that's the age
groups that was going to use most of the things.
All right, but you don't usually see that right where
like more than Yeah, is it trashy to say you're
a senior before you're senior?
Speaker 3 (29:35):
Well you will you start doing that you got the hair.
Speaker 4 (29:37):
No, absolutely, And that's a good one because I know
a lot of people say, oh, I'm a you know,
I'm a senior or whatever. So no, absolutely, I live.
I live in the gray world. So I'll take any
discount you give me. So some have some morals.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
I won't use one.
Speaker 3 (29:53):
So I have some morals.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
If it's the fundraiser, will pay full price, just to
let the world the record show it's a fundraiser, will
pay full price, right right.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
Or I won't.
Speaker 4 (30:01):
I won't say I'm a Vedan if I'm you know,
not a vester, and that's yeah, that's you. But yeah,
somebody wants to give me a senior discount, I'll take Oh.
Speaker 3 (30:09):
Yeah, thanks, thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
All right, I would love to hear actually, how many
of you have also done this and if it's something
you share with people, or if it's just something we
all do we just don't always talk about. Comment for
us below, like us, subscribe to us, share your podcast
with us. You never know what we'll have. Each week,
usually we have a guest talking about giving back in
our community. This week we talked about giving back by
(30:32):
helping keep a little bit more out of the Landfall landfill,
by encouraging that you continue composting like good Vermontors do.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
Have a good week.
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