truly needed. Much like electricity for your home or gasoline in your
vehicle, most North Carolina residents may take their garbage and
recycling collection or even debris removal for granted under ordinary
circumstances, but after a severe storm or hurricane, these are the
services vital to beginning the recovery and revitalization process.
"Following a powerful hurricane strike, one of the most essential
needs for a community to begin recovery is the removal of debris and
the reliable return of its most vital services," said Randall Essick,
manager for Waste Management of North Carolina. "That's why we spend a
lot of time in the weeks and months prior to the start of hurricane
season focusing within our company on annual hurricane preparation and
recovery planning."
Each year, Waste Management staff review their local plans, re-
establish contact with local emergency authorities, and inspect and re-
stock their hurricane preparedness equipment and supplies. All this
and more is to ensure that employees are able to return to performing
their very essential collection jobs in the community as soon as
practical following a storm.
A new introduction in Waste Management's mix of hurricane preparedness
and recovery services this year is the Bagster bag. An innovation in
waste removal, Bagster is ideal in situations where there is a need to
discard more debris than can fit in a typical bin or garbage
receptacle, but not enough to require a dumpster. Bagster® bags are
strong enough to hold 3,300 pounds of severe storm and hurricane
debris items, such as tree stumps, large tree limbs, roofing shingles,
full sheets of plywood and sheetrock.
"After a significant storm blows through a community, there are few
more welcome signs of things getting back to normal than seeing North
Carolinians begin the rebuilding process," said Essick. "Once public
safety is restored, Bagster® allows residents to begin work on their
clean-up and restoration efforts quickly, use the bag for as long as
they want, then simply call Waste Management to schedule an effortless
and prompt pickup."
As part of its hurricane planning and pre-storm preparation, Waste
Management puts its hurricane response plan into action as soon as a
storm becomes a verified threat to the area.
In addition to the introduction of Bagster, Waste Management's
investment in emergency and storm recovery preparedness includes
stockpiling of supplies and needed rapid-response equipment, including
communications technologies and response vehicles. The effort includes
mobile "command centers" that include overnight functionality plus
satellite voice and data-enabled systems. These are stationed in
Georgia and Texas but are mobilized to be accessible anywhere in the
Southeast following a storm's impact.
The company also issues public advisories about storm preparation.
These include:
• Encouraging all residents and businesses to secure their garbage
cans and other trash containers in a safe location
• Reminders about preventing debris from becoming hazards to homes
and automobiles during high win
• Guidance on separating household garbage from storm debris after a
major storm strikes and tips on safe and proper disposal using a
Bagster bag or other products and services
After a storm, Waste Management also works to restart waste and
recycling collection and operations as soon as possible on streets
that are passable. Reminders to separate household garbage from storm
debris are issued. The company expands its routes to additional areas
as more streets become clear of debris and other impediments.
"Our value to a community is not always apparent unless collection
stops," said Essick. "Doing everything we can to prepare before and
return to service and help local residents recover after a crisis is
what being a good community partner is all about."
Locations in Charlotte and surrounding areas where Bagster bags are
sold, include:
Location
Address
Phone Number
The Home Depot
1220 N Wendover Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211
(704) 365-1291
Blackhawk Hardware
4225 Park Rd, Charlotte, NC 28209
(704) 525-2682
The Home Depot
4750 South Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28217
(704) 522-8383
The Home Depot
8135 University City Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28213
(704) 596-1550
The Home Depot
9501 Albemarle Rd, Charlotte, NC 28227
(704) 535-6982
The Home Depot
10210 Centrum Pkwy, Pineville, NC 28134
(704) 544-2877
The Home Depot
1837 Matthews Township Pkwy, Matthews, NC 28105
(704) 845-9200
The Home Depot
14310 Rivergate Pkwy, Charlotte, NC 28273
(704) 504-9836
The Home Depot
5415 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy, Charlotte, NC 28277
(704) 814-6131
The Home Depot
4245 Main St, Harrisburg, NC 28075
(704) 455-7900
Indian Trail Ace Hardware
205 Indian Trail Road, Indian Trail, NC 28079
(704) 821-9448
The Home Depot
17111 Statesville Rd, Cornelius, NC 28031
(704) 987-0490
The Home Depot
2870 E Franklin Blvd, Gastonia, NC 28056
(704) 865-9532
Ace Hardware & Garden Center
20510 N Main St, Cornelius, NC 28031
(704) 892-7651
Locust Lumber
1709 Airport Rd, Monroe, NC 28110
(704) 289-8441
Morrison Brothers Building Center
267 Corban Ave SW, Concord, NC 28025-5155
(704) 792-2222
The Home Depot
2815 Home Depot Blvd, Rock Hill, SC 29730
(803) 909-2420
Southgate Masonry
3535 Us Highway 601 S, Concord, NC 28025-0473
(704) 786-9226
About Waste Management, Inc.
Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of
comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our
subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource
recovery, and disposal services. We are also a leading developer,
operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy
facilities in the United States. Our customers include residential,
commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North
America. To learn more visit www.wm.comor www.thinkgreen.com. Bagster
is provided by WM Bagco, LLC, a Waste Management company. Collection
services provided by a local operating subsidiary of Waste Management,
Inc. Bagster, Dumpster in a Bag, BUY. FILL. GONE., and Take It On are
marks of WM Bagco, LLC. To learn more visit www.wm.comor www.thebagster.com
.
