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  • Dumpster Woes

    This is kind of long, but I am frustrated and need to vent!

    Back in November, I was transferred from my mall store to a strip center store. At the strip center, we have our own dumpsters, one for trash and one for recycling. They are also pretty much right behind our store, which is on the right hand side of the center. The dumpsters that everyone else is supposed to use are on the left hand side of the center.

    See where this is going?

    When I first took over, our shipments were small and so other people using our dumpsters wasn't that big of a deal, but I still made note of which retailers were doing it. Now that we are getting all our spring product in and building up for Easter sales, we've got more cardboard to get rid of and more trash from cleaning the paper and stuff out from around the shoes when they come in.

    I go to the two main retailers that are using our dumpsters. I nicely explain that the blue ones are ours, and could they please stop using them. Both store managers claim ignorance, but say they will stop using them. Of course they don't, so after our trash is picked up one day, I buy locks for our dumpsters and lock up the trash one.

    I go to take our trash out the other day, and I see that Retailer One has left their trash IN FRONT of my dumpster. So, I pop in to kindly remind them that the blue ones are ours, and that I know it sucks to have to walk to the other end of the strip center to get to their dumpsters, because mine used to be there too, and please don't leave your trash on the ground in front of my dumpster.

    The manager lies to my face! Claims she took her trash all the way to the other end and used the dumpsters she was supposed to use. I say, "Really? Because the box on the ground has your store name on it, and I can see in the clear trash bags that there is paperwork from your store in there."

    "Well, I might have put them in the cardboard dumpster, but I didn't drop them on the ground! Someone must have pulled it out and thrown it on the ground."

    Even though she's probably telling the truth about someone going through the trash (the people that live nearby go through the trash I guess to look for things they can use/sell), she still admitted to using our dumpster, and the recycling one at that!!!

    That's the other problem, I can't get the trash company to pick up the recycling dumpster, because other retailers have thrown their trash in there and they consider it "contaminated." I have called twice and they claim they will pick it up as a "contaminated load" but they never do. Meanwhile, even though it is overflowing, other retailers continue to throw their trash in it/near it/in front of it.

    I've kept my district manager informed of what is going on, and last night I finally asked her if she could either deal with it, or have the corporate person responsible for trash stuff deal with it, because I have other things to do! And then I took a picture of the recycling dumpster and sent it to her.

  • #2
    Hate to say it, but it's probably time to go civil suit on them. ianal, so I don't know if you'll need to file a trespass/infringement charge on them first, but they're obviously taking the path of least resistance and are willing to lie about it.
    You might try ringing your own companies legal department and asking what course you should take. (That might shield you from the CBF from your fellow mall inhabitants as well; you could say that the higher bills from the waste management company for contaminated loads might have piqued the corps. interest.)

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    • #3
      Don't most dumpster companies have a sign on them saying "$500 fine for illegal dumping"? Most of the ones around here do...

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      • #4
        Sounds like you need to "bite the bullet" ONCE for the higher fees to dispose of a contaminated recycling load, and slap a lock on that one as soon as the truck puts it down. Also, do you have security cameras? If so, a camera that covers your dumpsters and the back door of the store(s) using them without permission would be in order - if it comes down to a lawsuit, the footage would be prime evidence.

        Also, it would be a good idea to, from time to time, test the lock with a "wrong" key (same blank, different bitting). Depending on how creatively lazy the other stores are, they may know someone who's "good with tools" who can take a padlock of the same brand and "gut" it to get rid of the tumblers (so any key will open it). Pair of bolt cutters to yours, swap in theirs, and they've got access to your dumpster again without it looking like anything's wrong.
        Last edited by wolfie; 03-11-2014, 09:42 PM. Reason: Forgot something.
        Any fool can piss on the floor. It takes a talented SC to shit on the ceiling.

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        • #5
          This is part of a mall or leased space, correct? Have you contacted the landlord? Perhaps the landlord should be the one threatening fines for using the wrong dumpsters.
          A lion however, will only devour your corpse, whereas an SC is not sated until they have destroyed your soul. (Quote per infinitemonkies)

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          • #6
            remove any rubbish that's identifiable to right in front of the staff entry door of said shop, with a note saying, "I think you lost this"

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            • #7
              Around here, dumping in someone's dumpster without permission is illegal; a call to the police will have them out in a few minutes and, if they find any identifying papers in the garbage, they'll issue a criminal misdemeanor citation to the offender.

              I've had to do this myself a couple of times but, strangely enough, my bigger problem is people stealing our garbage...and I'm not talking about paperwork or anything usable...they'll steal the bags with our used food wrappers and coffee grounds. So strange.
              "She didn't observe the cardinal rule: Don't F**K with people who handle your food"
              -Ryan Reynolds in 'Waiting'

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              • #8
                500 fine around here. Call the cops on these idiots.

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                • #9
                  Thanks for the advice! I didn't know if there was a fine associated with it... and I don't want to start a bigger fight with the other retailers than I have to.

                  My district manager called me today and said the local dumpster people said they took care of it on Friday. So she called them back and said that no, the local people were lying. They are supposed to come empty it tomorrow. Of course, I'll be babysitting a different store tomorrow (which is another rant for another day), but I left a note for the person working to keep their eye on it, and to run out there and slap that lock on as fast as she can!

                  We also have nearby residents that will go through our trash. There's nothing good in there, I don't know why they bother.

                  I have no idea how to contact our landlord, other than going through the corporate office, but I plan to do that too. Obviously me talking to the other stores isn't stopping them, so I think the landlord should send out a letter or something.
                  Last edited by NotAlBundy; 03-12-2014, 10:50 PM.

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                  • #10
                    Quoth prjkt View Post
                    remove any rubbish that's identifiable to right in front of the staff entry door of said shop, with a note saying, "I think you lost this"
                    You read my mind (sorry about the mess in there)
                    When you start at zero, everything's progress.

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                    • #11
                      Quoth prjkt View Post
                      remove any rubbish that's identifiable to right in front of the staff entry door of said shop, with a note saying, "I think you lost this"
                      Bad idea. Put it in front of the main entrance.

                      Unauthorized use of a dumpster is theft of services. Unfortunately, you can't arrest "the business" so you would have to catch the individual in the act. You could have your corporate send a letter to the store threatening to sue for damages.
                      Life is too short to not eat popcorn.
                      Save the Ales!
                      Toys for Tots at Rooster's Cafe

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                      • #12
                        Quoth csquared View Post
                        Unfortunately, you can't arrest "the business" so you would have to catch the individual in the act.
                        True...But pressure could be placed on a store if it can be proven that that particular store is causing the violations (and it can, in this case) -- after all, the MOD is ultimately responsible or the conduct of the employees; if a time period cannot be verified, it falls upon the SM to keep them in line. You may not be able to arrest him, but getting a citation and a $500 fine for every single bag should either fix the problem directly, or get him replaced with someone who WILL obey the signs/laws pretty quickly.
                        "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
                        "The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
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                        "Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
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                        Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
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                        • #13
                          The dumpster people finally came and emptied the recycling dumpster, and then we locked that sucker up!

                          My district manager wants us to contact the landlord of our center first and have her send out a letter reminding people which dumpsters to use and to not leave crap on the ground anywhere. After that, she said she's cool with me calling the cops!

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