So your condo board has contacted you and wants you to stop throwing cat litter down the garbage chute. In other words, you can put it in a plastic bag rather than dump the contents of the box directly into the chute.
Believe it or not, unbagged kitty litter is one of the worst things that can be thrown down a garbage chute. The reason for this is because it is like sand and can be caught on the way down. The opening and closing mechanisms can also be jammed and kitty’s waste doesn’t smell very nice either.
But kitty litter is not the only “not nice” waste to throw down a garbage chute. Residents toss a lot of other items that cause clogs, such as stiff cardboard, hangers, diapers, newspapers, Christmas trees, open paint cans, and hot coals.
Fortunately, regular maintenance can help ensure that these issues do not cause significant problems with the garbage chute. A garbage chute problem can lead to odor problems, contaminated air, and an all around nasty experience. Bugs and odors tend to be the most common reasons why a garbage chute maintenance company is called.
Sometimes there can be layer on top of layer of buildup inside the chute, especially if it has never been cleaned. Even if there is a sprinkler system to spray the inside of the chute off, that doesn’t get everything that may be stuck to the walls of the cylinder.
The way to fix this problem is to treat the chute surface with an enzyme chemical that deodorizes and softens the buildup. A high temperature pressure wash can then be used to remove that buildup. The chemical solution, which is biodegradable will be flushed down the drain as it is rinsed away. At the same time, it cleans as it moves.
As for bugs, the black-eyed fruit fly and the German cockroach are the two most common types of bugs found in garbage chutes. While the fruit flies will go away after their habitat is washed away, the cockroach will stick around. Cockroach removal requires an insecticide and a vacuum cleaner.
So to keep a garbage chute clean, bag up kitty litter and tie the bag tightly. Make sure you don’t use grocery bags because they are not very sturdy and they don’t tie up well. All other refuse should be disposed of in the same way. Chute rooms should also have recycling bins in them so that newspapers, cardboard, and other recyclables can be separated from the trash and even turned in to a recycling facility for a little cash.
