SANITATION WORKER SAFETY

The City of Athens Department of Public Works is working with the residents and businesses of the City of Athens to reduce the chance of injury to sanitation workers. Because of an increase in accidents, we are publishing a short list of ideas to help reduce future risk.

- When placing your garbage curbside for pickup, ensure it is bagged and placed in a can.

- When disposing of needles, place these in an approved container such as a Sharps container and check with the local landfill regarding the legal disposal of these containers.

- When purchasing a refuse container, keep in mind, the size limit is no less than 20 gallons and no more than 32 gallons.

- When garbage containers are filled, they should weigh no more than 75 pounds.

- Do not place hazardous chemicals, such as oven cleaner or acids, in household garbage.

When chemicals are placed in household garbage for pickup, they may become mixed with other chemicals already in the truck and create a potentially dangerous situation. This situation can not only affect the workers on the truck but possibly neighboring homes. Help us keep our workers and residents safe from hazardous chemicals.

We can all work together to keep the City of Athens clean and beautiful.

For more information, you may contact the Athens Public Works Department at:
(423)744-2745 or by email at: publicworks@cityofathenstn.com