Solid Waste Services Summer Safety Tips

Published on July 24, 2024

With school out for the summer and more kids taking to the streets to enjoy their break, it’s the perfect time to revisit some safety tips, courtesy of the City of Charlotte’s Solid Waste Services. 

Charlotte is the largest city in North Carolina with over 900,000 residents, and the staff at Solid Waste Services (SWS) work diligently every day to keep the city clean and beautiful. If you’re in the Queen City, you can play a part in making sure SWS sanitation engineers can do their jobs safely and efficiently.

Follow these tips this summer and all year long!

Stay a Safe Distance from Collection Trucks

Please remind your children to be mindful when playing outside if collection vehicles are making their way through your neighborhood. Residents should keep a safe distance of at least 50 feet away from sanitation trucks.

Limit On-Street Parking

We want to always keep people and property safe. Parking along the street makes it much more difficult for collection trucks to navigate. Parking along the street in a cul-de-sac makes it particularly hard to maneuver sanitation trucks while collecting trash and recycling. If a driver can’t safely travel between cars parked on the street, it may be impossible to collect any materials.

Be mindful of your neighborhood’s collection day and avoid parking along the street when you know collection trucks will be traveling through.

Watch Out for Workers

Many SWS crews work on foot. Sanitation engineers have varied duties that require them to be in or near traffic such as pressure washing, picking up litter, changing out bags in Uptown receptacles, loading bulky waste into trucks, and more. Sanitation engineers may have to get out and move carts that are too close to obstacles. Please help keep SWS employees and residents safe while driving.   

Avoid Distracted Driving

If you’re behind the wheel of a vehicle, you should be fully focused on the road. This will help protect not just Solid Waste Services workers, but everyone. Avoid distractions and keep everyone safe this summer – the kids playing outside, the workers keeping our city clean, and all who live and visit Charlotte.

Solid Waste Services and everyone at #TeamCharlotte appreciates that you are doing your part to prioritize safety!