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3 more COVID-19 deaths in Luzerne County; 25 new confirmed cases

PLAINS TWP. &mdash; The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a lot of worry, concern, angst, frustration and &mdash; garbage.
				Monday is garbage day where I live and when I placed my over-stuffed township-issued purple bag at the curb I couldn&rsquo;t help but notice that everybody&rsquo;s garbage bags appeared to be much larger than ever before.
				It was stark, irrefutable evidence that this self-isolation, stay-at-home order has resulted in every household generating far more garbage than normal.
				When I came inside my self-isolating home, I later heard the garbage packer pulling up. I went to the window and watched the township workers lifting those heavier-than-normal bags into the back of the garbage packer.
				Now, we must be sure to thank all of those front line workers out there &mdash; doctors, nurses, health care workers all, grocery store employees, pharmacy employees, fast food restaurant employees, all people who are still working to provide services to us.
				Add to that list all municipal employees, like the public works people who pick up our garbage and perform so many other essential services.
				I think we have all come to the realization that many people/services that we all have used multiple times in our lives were not as appreciated as they are now during this pandemic. We now know how needed these folks are and we should thank each and every one of them.
				In a recent Times Leader story written by colleague Jerry Lynott, the noticeable size of the garbage bags being placed at the curb-sides throughout Luzerne County and beyond is a clear indication &mdash; proof, actually &mdash; that people are complying with the stay-at-home order during this coronavirus pandemic. Jerry&rsquo;s story cited several municipal officials who said one look at the amount of garbage and recyclables placed at curbside for pickup proves the point.
				Jerry wrote: &ldquo;Trucks are carting more to landfills and recycling centers, and depending upon the system in place, paying more to get rid of the junk from take-out orders and online shopping.&rdquo;
				Wilkes-Barre&rsquo;s Director of Operations Butch Frati said the city has been &ldquo;picking up more&rdquo; garbage.
				&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a significant number, somewhere around 19 to 20 percent higher now than it was this time last year,&rdquo; Frati was quoted saying in Jerry&rsquo;s story.
				How this all will affect the tipping fees that municipalities pay at landfill is yet to be seen, but all expect the numbers to be much higher than usual. What effect that will have on budgets will also have to be dealt with by the towns.
				In Pittston City, David Hines, the Director of Operations, told Jerry that crews are spending more time on the streets with their collections.
				&ldquo;Recycling used to fill half of one truck,&rdquo; Hines said. &ldquo;Today it took two trucks.&rdquo;
				Back in the day, most backyards had burn barrels. Residents would burn paper items and cardboard to lighten the garbage load.
				Most towns have anti-burning ordinances now, so I wouldn&rsquo;t expect to see an uptick in burn barrel sales.
				But the garbage and the cost to dispose of it will keep rising.
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Coping with Corona: Home garbage is piling up