For the Birds

A problem common to most landfills are birds, digging in the trash, messing things up, generally being a nuisance. At Waste Expo this year, just a couple isles from us we could see a bird on a pole - and in the Waste & Recycling News that I got today I see they did an article on that bird. It seems that Predatech - the company who had the booth - have created this battery operated bird to mimic the look, sound, and movement of a live falcon. Falcons as birds of prey have been effectively used by some landfills to help deter the nuisance birds. However not every landfill has the right people available to host a live bird deterrent program. Now there is a new option. Predatech created this robot bird.

Just thought we would put this out in case you hadn't see the information. If you need a new way to combat nuisance birds - check them out at www.predatech.ca .

The Landfill Manager's Biggest Challenge

In a conversation recently with a customer who manages a municipal landfill that gets no tax dollars - his response to a question about his biggest challenge told a lot about him. His concern was for his people - his employees. In order to secure for them a workplace he needed to make sure his site had the volume of waste to generate the needed revenue to keep a working environment possible. This means doing what they can to be competitive in a price dominated market. He looks to save and cut costs and run an efficient operation. Both the products they choose to use, and the way they run their operation contribute to that efficiency.

His concern for them changes the way they view their work. He spoke of employees who take pride in their work - in caring for the equipment they operate. They are all doing their part to make for an efficient operation - everyone's jobs depend on it.

The way I see it, there is a push for efficiency and cost cutting that will meet acceptance and cooperation. May they all succeed.