Pandemic-related trash causes waste increases, sewer problems
By:
Jonathan Shead
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C&G Newspapers
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Published April 23, 2021
Remnants of disposable wipes and other debris sit after being raked from higher sections of the giant bar screen at the Northeast Sewage Pumping Station in Detroit.
Photo provided by Macomb County Public Works Office
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OAKLAND COUNTY — You may have noticed it walking around your neighborhoods, parks and local businesses. A surge of disposable, non-recyclable products such as surgical face masks, latex gloves and disposable cleaning wipes has contributed to increases in litter and potential environmental damage.
“There is a little increase in litter, at least that’s what I’ve seen anecdotally,” Southeastern Oakland County Resource Recovery Authority General Manager Jeff McKeen said, adding that SOCRRA has seen about a 10% increase in waste coming from the organization’s member communities. “Some things are not being disposed of properly, and that’s a side effect of the pandemic, obviously, and everybody not disposing of everything properly.”