Trash in halls creates few issues

Trash is piling up in the hallways of Hamilton College House -- but students aren't complaining.

Hamilton's trash compactor broke about a month ago, forcing building staff and residents to devise a new way to dispose of their waste. But some residents say that the situation has been a blessing in disguise.

The new method of disposal allows residents to simply leave waste in the hall in bags, rather than using the trash chute.

The chute "smells bad," College junior Daniel Bienstock said.

Bienstock is one of many Hamilton residents who prefer the new method of trash disposal.

"I hope it stays this way," he said, adding that "people have been pretty courteous about tying bags up" in the hall to prevent the smell of garbage from being a problem.

Bienstock said that the trash chute was more difficult to use and frequently made the halls smell because residents would not close the door to the trash-chute room.

The trash compactor should compress the waste deposited in the chute by the entire building's residents. Facilities workers have ordered a new unit.

Although it seems like a simple task, delivery of the compactor has taken longer than expected because a specific machine is needed for the building. According to an e-mail sent to all Hamilton residents by Facilities, the unit was ordered some time ago but has not yet been received.

In the meantime, residents have been instructed not to use the building's trash chute. Instead, they leave their trash in the hall, where it is picked up once in the morning and once at night by the cleaning staff.

Hamilton House Dean Ken Grcich said, "I haven't had any complaints, except at one period in time there was miscommunication with housekeeping."

The issue was quickly resolved, allowing the pickup of trash from the halls to continue.

Facilities employees could not be reached for comment.

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