During each 15-min survey, the number of commercial (i.e.,
curbside collection trucks) and private (e.g., pickup trucks and
trailers) vehicles that were present or arrived at the facility were
counted. Any instances where refuse fell off or out of a refusetransport
vehicle was also recorded. In addition, at the start of
each individual survey, the amount of uncontained refuse that
was present outside the building was visually estimated and
recorded into 1 of 4 uncontained refuse site rating categories:
‘none’, ‘slight’, ‘moderate’, or ‘heavy’. Prior to starting surveys, I
trained all observers individually to ensure consistency in visual
estimation of uncontained refuse among observers.