Where do all those rotting jack-o-lanterns go?

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Right now, somewhere on your block, a pumpkin is rotting. If you’re lucky, that somewhere is in a Waste Management-sanctioned green bin, where it can safely decay with other compostable trash, and not on your front porch. It is mid-November, after all. This time of year, pumpkins become a major player in the composting program…

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On the job with Oakland’s garbage collectors, one of the most dangerous jobs in the country

Ammie Brandon, Waste Management of Alameda County's only female route manager, talks to her crew in "the yard" about the day ahead before they ship out.

But every morning that the drivers motor out of the yard, they’re embarking on a job fraught with potential dangers that extend far beyond simply navigating a truck throughout rush hour traffic. In 2011, there were 34 fatal work injuries within the profession, a study released several weeks ago by the Bureau of Labor Statistics found. After fishing and logging workers, aircraft pilots and flight engineers, the bureau ranks refuse and recyclable collection as having the fourth highest fatal work injury rate in the entire country.

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Oakland residents drop off jumbo-sized trash

At the Bulky-Item Drop Off event in San Leandro, Waste Management workers hauled 115 mattresses that were dropped off by Oakland residents.

More than a hundred Oakland residents descended into San Leandro over the weekend to participate in the free Bulky Item Drop-Off event. The event, sponsored by the Oakland Public Works Agency and Waste Management of Alameda County, took place at the Davis Street Resource and Recycling Center.

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