Program Response Guide

What to do if….

SMART Recycling is late for pickup.

All of your carts are full, breakfast is about to begin, and the truck has not yet arrived to tip your compost containers.  In this circumstance, it is important to maintain the procedures that have been put in place so students will continue to separate waste into landfill, recycling, and compost.  Use a 55-gallon Brute container or other landfill waste container with a liner as a “dummy container” in place of the compost container provided by SMART.  Please open a SchoolDude work order for Recycling and indicate that pickup has not yet occurred and the issue will be promptly investigated.

Dining Services needs to use Styrofoam trays.

Employees get sick and sometimes a replacement can’t be found in time, dishwashing machines and other equipment fail, or other extenuating circumstances occur when Styrofoam trays need to be used in the cafeteria in place of the reusable plastic trays.  In circumstances such as these, maintain the procedures in place and have students stack trays in the dish window as they normally would.  Students should not abandon the composting efforts because Styrofoam needs to be used. 

A container’s locking mechanism or other feature is broken or defective.

Determine what part of the cart is not functioning properly.  The most typical problems are wheels or locking mechanisms that are stuck or broken.  Many times, the lock or wheel simply needs to be lubricated with something such as WD-40 and it can be repaired by HCS staff.  If the problem cannot be solved with an easy fix, record the problem and the cart number (located on the inside of the lid), post a visible flyer on the top of the cart indicating that it is malfunctioning and briefly describe the problem so others will be aware of the issue, and open a SchoolDude work order for Recycling with this information.  The information will be passed on to SMART Recycling so it can be repaired or the cart can be replaced as soon as possible.

All of the carts are full and we are still serving students.

Similar to a late pickup, it is important to maintain the procedures that have been put in place so students will continue to separate waste into landfill, recycling, and compost.  Use a 55-gallon Brute container or other landfill waste container with a liner as a “dummy container” in place of the compost container provided by SMART.  Please open a SchoolDude work order for Recycling  indicating that all containers were filled prior to completion of lunch servings.  This may be an issue with containers being swapped too soon during servings or more carts may be necessary to satisfy the needs of your school.

Compost carts are rolling away from the designated due to slope or wind.

The two large wheels and two caster wheels provide easy maneuverability but carts have “wandered” from their designated area, especially when empty and strong winds are present in an open area.  If this occurs, determine if the carts are located in an ideal