S/O...the type of garbage can situation that makes me roll my eyes

[unsinkable]

In rest rooms, where dozens upon dozens of people appear to have gently placed their uncrumpled paper towels on the top of all the other in uncrumpled paper towels to the point that the garbage can is overflowing, or nearly so...But

All that needs to be done is to shove the paper towels down into the can bc the can is no where near capacity.

I wrap my used paper towel around my hand, give a shove down...And boom! Tons of room in the can for more gently place uncrumpled paper towels!

EDITED TO ADD:

Please, don't push the garbage down.  I am doing a very foolish, dangerous thing. 

It is very risky and I wouldn't want anyone to listen to me and think, "wow, that's a great idea." Listen to everyone else! It is not worth your risk!

 

Edited January 4, 2019 by unsinkable

[Tanaqui]

You're brave.

[mlktwins]

Nope, not doing that either!  You are brave...

[KathyBC]

And in a similar vein, do people really not know that all those automatic flushing toilets have a manual button or sensor? If your waste doesn't go down, press the button.
Voila, much cleaner restroom for the rest of the world. You're welcome.

[Forget-Me-Not]

I’d be afraid of something like a hypodermic needle that had been disposed of in the wrong way. No way would I do that in a public restroom. 

[AK_Mom4]

Nope. Not doing that either unless I had a long stick to poke it down with. It would be just my luck to stab myself with a syringe or other pointy object in the trash. 

[Pawz4me]

I've been tempted to shove the paper towels down in trash cans, but truthfully . . . I'm too afraid there may be used needles or some such in them. I don't generally think of myself as a paranoid or overly worried person, but there it is.

[mlktwins]

17 minutes ago, KathyBC said:

And in a similar vein, do people really not know that all those automatic flushing toilets have a manual button or sensor? If your waste doesn't go down, press the button.
Voila, much cleaner restroom for the rest of the world. You're welcome.

I do make sure I do this!!!

[unsinkable]

I could skip shoving it all down but the other option is to tuck my wadded up towel into the can some where around the fluffy in crumpled towels. I could probably potentially get stuck that way, too, if the needle is in the right spot.

 

[gardenmom5]

yosemite valley summer of 2017.  oh em gee . . .faint.  the women's restroom.  there was used toilet paper piled in the corner of all of the stalls.  and feces on the floor.. . . . .they need signs telling people to flush their used TP!!!!!

it actually made me glad we weren't able to get a campsite in the valley.  it was horrible.  made me want to never go back.

[Selkie]

1 minute ago, gardenmom5 said:

yosemite valley summer of 2017.  oh em gee . . .faint.  the women's restroom.  there was used toilet paper piled in the corner of all of the stalls.  and feces on the floor.. . . . .they need signs telling people to flush their used TP!!!!!

it actually made me glad we weren't able to get a campsite in the valley.  it was horrible.  made me want to never go back.

Ugh!!!! What in the world? Why would someone do that when there are toilets right there??

[gardenmom5]

5 minutes ago, Selkie said:

Ugh!!!! What in the world? Why would someone do that when there are toilets right there??

my understanding - there are part of the world where the pipes are too small for the TP . . . .  yes, very gross.

[AbcdeDooDah]

I am not sticking my hand in there! I hold my kid under the arms and make him jump up and down on it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

😆

[unsinkable]

16 minutes ago, Arctic Mama said:

Bingo.  I’ll do it at home or where I have, like, a cup or box in my hand I can use to push stuff down with.  But the risk of getting poked with a sharp is quite high.  And even if someone is just giving themselves insulin, it doesn’t mean they don’t have hepatitis too.  NO THANK YOU.

I'd love to see some citations of this...people/women who have been stuck by needles while pushing down paper towels at places like: Target, Panera, baseball games...

[Tanaqui]

You won't, because people don't do that. Ever. Gross, gross, gross!

(And honestly, even though it's low risk, there's lots more gross stuff that can be in the garbage that I don't want to touch. Dirty diapers, used condoms, menstrual products, snotty tissues....)

[unsinkable]

8 minutes ago, Tanaqui said:

You won't, because people don't do that. Ever. Gross, gross, gross!

(And honestly, even though it's low risk, there's lots more gross stuff that can be in the garbage that I don't want to touch. Dirty diapers, used condoms, menstrual products, snotty tissues....)

Yes, I do. All the time. It's more gross to see an overflowing garbage can or nearly/close to over flowing can that is in reality barely full.

I wrap my hand in the towel I just used...you know, the cheap kind that barely absorb anything anyway so nothing soaks through the towel and touches me.

And then sometimes I lick my hands for fun...like a Russian disease roulette. 

Good times.

[Tap]

40 minutes ago, unsinkable said:

I'd love to see some citations of this...people/women who have been stuck by needles while pushing down paper towels at places like: Target, Panera, baseball games...

 The world shouldn't be this way, but unfortunately it is.

I work in pharmacy. We have a sharps container that we use for vaccinations. Multiple times per week, the store employees bring us used syringes that are found all over the store and parking lot. Quite often they are hidden somewhere like the toilet seat cover box, inside the toilet tissue holder, behind the commode, and yep.....the garbage cans. 

The employees are very, very gentle when the pull out bags from all garbages and replace bathroom supplies...so they don't get stuck. The danger of needle jabs is very real in our world. BTW...I work outside of Portland Oregon in a suburb. Not in a seedy area. It is just the times we live in. No employee that I know of would push down the garbage in a can without something rigid in their hand to protect it. Most times if the garbage is full, they just grab the bag and empty the whole thing, and put a new bag in. 

Many stores are now installing sharps containers in their bathrooms, to encourage safe disposal.

[unsinkable]

14 minutes ago, Tap said:

 The world shouldn't be this way, but unfortunately it is.

I work in pharmacy. We have a sharps container that we use for vaccinations. Multiple times per week, the store employees bring us used syringes that are found all over the store and parking lot. Quite often they are hidden somewhere like the toilet seat cover box, inside the toilet tissue holder, behind the commode, and yep.....the garbage cans. 

The employees are very, very gentle when the pull out bags from all garbages and replace bathroom supplies...so they don't get stuck. The danger of needle jabs is very real in our world. BTW...I work outside of Portland Oregon in a suburb. Not in a seedy area. It is just the times we live in. No employee that I know of would push down the garbage in a can without something rigid in their hand to protect it. Most times if the garbage is full, they just grab the bag and empty the whole thing, and put a new bag in. 

Many stores are now installing sharps containers in their bathrooms, to encourage safe disposal.

 

14 minutes ago, Tap said:

 The world shouldn't be this way, but unfortunately it is.

I work in pharmacy. We have a sharps container that we use for vaccinations. Multiple times per week, the store employees bring us used syringes that are found all over the store and parking lot. Quite often they are hidden somewhere like the toilet seat cover box, inside the toilet tissue holder, behind the commode, and yep.....the garbage cans. 

The employees are very, very gentle when the pull out bags from all garbages and replace bathroom supplies...so they don't get stuck. The danger of needle jabs is very real in our world. BTW...I work outside of Portland Oregon in a suburb. Not in a seedy area. It is just the times we live in. No employee that I know of would push down the garbage in a can without something rigid in their hand to protect it. Most times if the garbage is full, they just grab the bag and empty the whole thing, and put a new bag in. 

Many stores are now installing sharps containers in their bathrooms, to encourage safe disposal.

I appreciate the post, but finding needles is not the same as "the risk of getting poked with a sharp is quite high" which to me, says people are getting poked while pushing down paper towels.

Someone is taking care of the garbage and if there are needles they can get poked through the bag or poked while picking up the garbage that is on the floor. Pushing down the towels is not the only risk.

Edited to add...the quote is from.ArcticMama. That's what was said that prompted me to ask.for citations.

Edited January 4, 2019 by unsinkable

[Tap]

17 minutes ago, unsinkable said:

 

I appreciate the post, but finding needles is not the same as "the risk of getting poked with a sharp is quite high" which to me, says people are getting poked while pushing down paper towels.

Someone is taking care of the garbage and if there are needles they can get poked through the bag or poked while picking up the garbage that is on the floor. Pushing down the towels is not the only risk.

Edited to add...the quote is from.ArcticMama. That's what was said that prompted me to ask.for citations.

(Not arguing, just continuing the conversation.)

It depends on what information you are looking for. Workers do things to lower the risk of needle pokes because they are aware of the risk.  To me that alters the data. They are less likely to get stuck, simply because they are aware of the risks.

There should be a low number of needle jabs in this scenario, because the workers should know to not stick their bare hands in garbage cans and push down on the contents.

A random person who shoves down the garbage can contents, may not even realize they have been stuck but a needle. 

Edited January 4, 2019 by Tap

[Tanaqui]

Unsinkable, if there are needles on the floor or counter, do you really think that some percentage of this population isn't throwing their used needles out? Or do you think the only options are "they're litterbugs, or they consistently remember to bring and use their personal sharps container" with no middle ground?

The risk might be quite low, but it's not non-existent, and I don't want to push my hand into the public garbage. That's not unreasonable.

Edited January 4, 2019 by Tanaqui

[unsinkable]

6 minutes ago, Tanaqui said:

Unsinkable, if there are needles on the floor or counter, do you really think that some percentage of this population isn't throwing their used needles out? Or do you think the only options are "they're litterbugs, or they consistently remember to bring and use their personal sharps container" with no middle ground?

The risk might be quite low, but it's not non-existent, and I don't want to push my hand into the public garbage. That's not unreasonable.

You can take all the precautions you want, for whatever reasons. I never said you or anyone else has to push down anything.

But don't you tell me that no one is doing it after I just said I do it.

I take full responsibility for my own foolish (according to arctic mama) actions. 

[Tanaqui]

You're right. One person does it. One is a non-zero number, and the risk of getting injured in this way is also greater than zero percent.

[goldberry]

1 hour ago, unsinkable said:

And then sometimes I lick my hands for fun...like a Russian disease roulette. 

😂 Admiring your sense of humor again... You really do have a great sense of humor!  🙂

[goldberry]

At home this is a game my DH plays.  How far can you push the trash down to keep from having to empty it?  Maybe he should work in public service...

[Tap]

You are 100% correct in saying you have the right to do this.  I read the following line:

4 hours ago, unsinkable said:

All that needs to be done is to shove the paper towels down into the can bc the can is no where near capacity.

 to mean that it is a simple thing that needs to be done to prevent the over capacity issue. Yep, you are 100% correct.

What I am contributing to the conversation, is that while it is a simple task, there are risks involved that make it an unsafe one.  I would hate for someone to think "hey that is a great idea, I should do that too" without first thinking about those risks. Many people are not aware of the rapid escalation of the heroin and injectable medication epidemic in our nation, and how it affects the community around them. They see a clean store like the one I work in, and don't think "I need to be careful about where I put my hand, because a person was just shooting up heroin in here." A large part of this issue, is how fast the issue of used hypodermic needles has become a problem. 

People's perception of personal safety are often skewed by how 'nice' the area around them looks. 

Discarded Syringes from Heroin Crisis Create Health, Environmental Problems

Seattle Starbucks baristas dispose of hypodermic needles left behind by drug users nearly every day

Quote from second article:

Chains across the US are grappling with how to deal with the impact of the opioid epidemic. New York University's Center for Drug Use and HIV Research found last year that almost 60% of managers had come in contact with drug use in their businesses' public bathrooms, City Lab reported last month.

[unsinkable]

Please, don't push the garbage down.  I am doing a very foolish, dangerous thing. 

It is very risky and I wouldn't want anyone to listen to me and think, "wow, that's a great idea." Listen to everyone else! It is not worth your risk!

 

[Shoeless]

Pretending needles aren't an issue, I still won't reach my hand in the trash because of things like poo-filled diapers and snot-filled kleenex.  This is how people get sick. 

If the can is barfing out paper towels, I go to the service desk and tell them the bathroom needs attention.  

[Catwoman]

3 hours ago, unsinkable said:

I'd love to see some citations of this...people/women who have been stuck by needles while pushing down paper towels at places like: Target, Panera, baseball games...

 

2 hours ago, Arctic Mama said:

Tap elucidated it quite well, but if you’re seeing them on the counter or on the bottom of the clothes rack, there are even more in the trash can. I don’t have a citation for you, because I wasn’t citing a statistic.  My experience and knowledge of this from where I have lived and the various professional experiences relating to both retail and yes, pharmacy, is that the presence of needles is common enough that it is foolish to push down into a waste bin without adequate protection.  There are advisories out at various parks not to walk barefoot in the grass or sand too.  It’s just a thing, sadly, and it’s an avoidable risk.

 

2 hours ago, Tanaqui said:

Unsinkable, if there are needles on the floor or counter, do you really think that some percentage of this population isn't throwing their used needles out? Or do you think the only options are "they're litterbugs, or they consistently remember to bring and use their personal sharps container" with no middle ground?

The risk might be quite low, but it's not non-existent, and I don't want to push my hand into the public garbage. That's not unreasonable.

 

I have to ask this in all seriousness...  Do any of you honestly walk into public restrooms and see needles on the floor or on the countertops? And if so, in what kind of places are you seeing them?

I am 55 years old and I have used a lot of public restrooms over the years, and I have never once seen a needle on the floor, on a countertop, in the trash can, or in a store parking lot.

I’m too much of a germaphobe to stick my hand anywhere near other people’s trash so I’m not at risk anyway, but I’m really wondering how some of you guys are seeing all of these needles and I never see any, ever.

[Catwoman]

3 hours ago, Tanaqui said:

(And honestly, even though it's low risk, there's lots more gross stuff that can be in the garbage that I don't want to touch. Dirty diapers, used condoms, menstrual products, snotty tissues....)

 

1 hour ago, MissLemon said:

Pretending needles aren't an issue, I still won't reach my hand in the trash because of things like poo-filled diapers and snot-filled kleenex.  This is how people get sick. 

If the can is barfing out paper towels, I go to the service desk and tell them the bathroom needs attention.  

 

These are the things I would worry about if I had to reach my hand into the trash. If I ever did it. Which I won’t. 

Ok, maybe if I dropped something very valuable in there.... 

Nope. Still not happening. 

And if I had no other choice but to go in there after something, I would want those long, heavy rubber gloves and a big pair of tongs or something. And Lysol. And hand sanitizer and lots of soap and very hot water for after I took off the gloves very carefully without touching the germy parts.

I’m over-thinking this, aren’t I? 😉

[unsinkable]

You guys should see the fun I have with the sanitary napkin recepticles.

[goldberry]

I have never seen a needle in a public bathroom.  Lots of poo, yes. Needles, no. 

I have a friend, however, that had to undergo prophylactic treatments after being stuck by a needle lodged in the couch of her hotel room. Nicer hotel, not a dump.

[Catwoman]

16 minutes ago, unsinkable said:

You guys should see the fun I have with the sanitary napkin recepticles.

 

🤮 🤮  🤮 🤮 

Don't come crying to me when you’re contagious. That’s all I have to say about that. 😉

Edited January 4, 2019 by Catwoman

[Catwoman]

9 minutes ago, goldberry said:

I have never seen a needle in a public bathroom.  Lots of poo, yes. Needles, no. 

I have a friend, however, that had to undergo prophylactic treatments after being stuck by a needle lodged in the couch of her hotel room. Nicer hotel, not a dump.

 

Wow, that is awful about your friend! I hope she is okay!

[City Mouse]

6 hours ago, unsinkable said:

In rest rooms, where dozens upon dozens of people appear to have gently placed their uncrumpled paper towels on the top of all the other in uncrumpled paper towels to the point that the garbage can is overflowing, or nearly so...But

All that needs to be done is to shove the paper towels down into the can bc the can is no where near capacity.

I wrap my used paper towel around my hand, give a shove down...And boom! Tons of room in the can for more gently place uncrumpled paper towels!

EDITED TO ADD:

Please, don't push the garbage down.  I am doing a very foolish, dangerous thing. 

It is very risky and I wouldn't want anyone to listen to me and think, "wow, that's a great idea." Listen to everyone else! It is not worth your risk!

 

 

I love your edit. It reminded me of a guy I watch on YouTube who talks about living in his van. He prefeces a lot of what he say says with something along the lines of "don't you do this. You will die. I have special magical powers so I will not die, but you do not have my magical powers, so you will die. Now watch how I do xxxx." 

 

[Catwoman]

2 minutes ago, City Mouse said:

 

I love your edit. It reminded me of a guy I watch on YouTube who talks about living in his van. He prefeces a lot of what he say says with something along the lines of "don't you do this. You will die. I have special magical powers so I will not die, but you do not have my magical powers, so you will die. Now watch how I do xxxx." 

 

 

That reminds me of a guy on YouTube who eats very old, expired food. He never seems to get sick! I think he actually does have magical powers.

[unsinkable]

Just now, City Mouse said:

 

I love your edit. It reminded me of a guy I watch on YouTube who talks about living in his van. He prefeces a lot of what he say says with something along the lines of "don't you do this. You will die. I have special magical powers so I will not die, but you do not have my magical powers, so you will die. Now watch how I do xxxx." 

 

I'm very special...the only person in the known universe who (foolishly) pushes noncrumpled paper towels down in public garbage cans. 

I told DH that I do it and here are some of his responses:

No.

Stop.

Don't do that.

You're f*cking with me.

Stop. Come on. That's gross.

I hope you wash your hands. 

[Catwoman]

7 minutes ago, Arctic Mama said:

There was one on the side of the road outside our old house in a middle class neighborhood (my son found it, awesome right?).  And yes, I have seen them in trash cans at Kroger, on the grass in a local park, and those are just the ones in the last few months.

 

Have you considered moving? 😉

[unsinkable]

28 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

 

 

These are the things I would worry about if I had to reach my hand into the trash. If I ever did it. Which I won’t. 

Ok, maybe if I dropped something very valuable in there.... 

Nope. Still not happening. 

And if I had no other choice but to go in there after something, I would want those long, heavy rubber gloves and a big pair of tongs or something. And Lysol. And hand sanitizer and lots of soap and very hot water for after I took off the gloves very carefully without touching the germy parts.

I’m over-thinking this, aren’t I? 😉

the I -dropped-something-in-the-public-garbage Starter Kit.

And psst...peel the gloves off so they are inside out. Hold the inside part of the first glove and grab the second glove with it.

[Shoeless]

50 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

These are the things I would worry about if I had to reach my hand into the trash. If I ever did it. Which I won’t. 

Ok, maybe if I dropped something very valuable in there.... 

Nope. Still not happening. 

And if I had no other choice but to go in there after something, I would want those long, heavy rubber gloves and a big pair of tongs or something. And Lysol. And hand sanitizer and lots of soap and very hot water for after I took off the gloves very carefully without touching the germy parts.

I’m over-thinking this, aren’t I? 😉

1

I don't think you are overthinking it!  I'd probably go through some crazy maneuvers to retrieve something important, like my keys, without having to really dig into the gross bathroom trash.  

[Shoeless]

26 minutes ago, Arctic Mama said:

NO LICKING!  There isn’t enough bleach in the world.

Oh yuck!

I was at the park with a friend and her young child.  The child was standing near the public bathroom/pavilion next to a trash can.  I looked up to see the child lick the wall, and I yelled out "Omg XXX, do NOT lick that!!!"  Just, whyyyyyyyyy....*shudder* 

[Melissa in Australia]

1 hour ago, Catwoman said:

 

 

 

I have to ask this in all seriousness...  Do any of you honestly walk into public restrooms and see needles on the floor or on the countertops? And if so, in what kind of places are you seeing them?

I am 55 years old and I have used a lot of public restrooms over the years, and I have never once seen a needle on the floor, on a countertop, in the trash can, or in a store parking lot.

I’m too much of a germaphobe to stick my hand anywhere near other people’s trash so I’m not at risk anyway, but I’m really wondering how some of you guys are seeing all of these needles and I never see any, ever.

Yes. On top of the hand dryer a needle. In the public toilet in the library. 

 

[Catwoman]

6 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

Yes. On top of the hand dryer a needle. In the public toilet in the library. 

 

 

That’s creepy!!!

[Melissa in Australia]

It was In a relatively small country town 

what was worse was the man who was sitting right behind me in a bus who was shooting up. The person across the isle alerted the driver as soon as the man got off. This was the public transport bus going through a town fairly close to me. I had the twins with me at the time. He left the needle on the seat.

Edited January 4, 2019 by Melissa in Australia

[Petrichor]

I was totally on board with you until I realized you're talking about actually pushing down on paper towels/garbage to squish the air out.

I had thought you meant those horizontal hinge-lidded garbage cans. For some reason I keep seeing those in bathrooms.

A paper towel isn't heavy enough to cause the lid to open up, and nobody wants to touch the lid to let the paper towels go down, so a pile of paper towels accumulate on the lid even though there is a lot of empty space in the can below. I have no problems with using a paper towel to push down the lid to let the paper towels fall in, BUT I'd never push down on garbage in a public place to try to make more room. Not without using a stick or something hard (not just because of needles, but broken glass or blood too.) I've never actually come across a needle in a public place.

I don't balk at picking up someone else's trash when I come across it on the ground, but when it comes to dealing with garbage cans and unseen-hazards - not my job/the person whose job it actually is can handle it.

[goldberry]

12 hours ago, Catwoman said:

 

Wow, that is awful about your friend! I hope she is okay!

 

Yep, she was fine.  But freaky scary though.  When I was little my mom used to tell me not to dig in the couch cushions because "there could be a razor blade in there!" (Hey, she's German, no explanation..)  I always mocked her, but secretly I think of it whenever putting my hand somewhere to dig for something.  Then when that happened with my friend...😨

[unsinkable]

7 hours ago, Petrichor said:

I was totally on board with you until I realized you're talking about actually pushing down on paper towels/garbage to squish the air out.

I had thought you meant those horizontal hinge-lidded garbage cans. For some reason I keep seeing those in bathrooms.

A paper towel isn't heavy enough to cause the lid to open up, and nobody wants to touch the lid to let the paper towels go down, so a pile of paper towels accumulate on the lid even though there is a lot of empty space in the can below. I have no problems with using a paper towel to push down the lid to let the paper towels fall in, BUT I'd never push down on garbage in a public place to try to make more room. Not without using a stick or something hard (not just because of needles, but broken glass or blood too.) I've never actually come across a needle in a public place.

I don't balk at picking up someone else's trash when I come across it on the ground, but when it comes to dealing with garbage cans and unseen-hazards - not my job/the person whose job it actually is can handle it.

Well, good! Because the last thing I want is someone stuck with a needle on my watch.

I will continue my foolish crusade, alone, slogging through the darkness, with even my husband disavowing me...

 

[Petrichor]

3 hours ago, goldberry said:

 

Yep, she was fine.  But freaky scary though.  When I was little my mom used to tell me not to dig in the couch cushions because "there could be a razor blade in there!" (Hey, she's German, no explanation..)  I always mocked her, but secretly I think of it whenever putting my hand somewhere to dig for something.  Then when that happened with my friend...😨

A razorblade in the couch cushions? 😨 I think I'd rather stand if that's the case...