Trash pickup problems

[Slik Geek]

You guys are making me appreciate our garbage collection.

Private company ($17.44/month). Two rolling cans are provided, one for garbage, the other for mixed recyclables. One guy in a truck comes by for each. They both hustle, hoist the cans by themselves into the back of the truck and put them back off the street. You can practically set your watch by them.

Never had a complaint in five years (except when they went on strike for a few weeks).

As an added bonus, one additional item outside of the garbage can is allowed each week.

[Kristofor]

Ah, the oldie but goody... "We're from the Government, and we're here to help". Maybe not so accurate for municipal waste disposal (at least for the folks who have spoken up here).

I'll add another vote for a satisfied customer using a private company. I switched to a small up-start company (evergreensanitation.net for folks in the SW Twin Cities) about 4 years ago and they're great! They're by far my cheapest utility bill (occasionally in the dead of winter I'll have a 1000 gallon water bill which is less but normally at ~$9.50/1000gals + taxes/fees even that's more expensive).

These guys pick up the trash and mixed recyclables every week (as opposed to every other week when I was living in a suburb with their own collection). Then after they've emptied the can, they walk it back up the driveway so you can immediately see that it's been emptied, it cannot be easily hit by cars or messed with by pedestrians or their pets on the sidewalk.

Like many of the other companies around here they send the non-recyclables that don't contain hazardous materials to the garbage burner (I'm sorry, the Energy from Waste Plant) that's right next to where they're building the new Twins stadium <grumble>.

[jonmulzer]

Yeah, everything municipal around here has went to **** since the last round of elections, but do discuss that would be a no-no. But wait.....Mark is gone so let's have at it!! Just kidding.

When my girlfriend got home I was still angry about the "inspection" and she said we could just haul it off ourselves. Apparently she does not understand the principle of the matter, hehe. I sincerely want to leave them out and then Tuesday night when I take the other cans to the curb put up a sign with bright red letters asking the trash men to please pick the cans up and dump them if they are not wussies (I might use different terminology, hehe). That idea was nixed. I have a spare sheet of 1/4" CDX, I could just put it up every Tuesday night.

If I do take it off tomorrow, I am sending them a bill. I am also calling the Mayor's office on Monday and asking them if I can send the bill for private trash service there since I am not getting satisfactory service from the one they provide. I also sent an email to the Mayor appealing to his background as a businessman and his knowledge of customer service. I am certainly becoming the squeaky wheel.

I really don't want to haul this myself. I bought another smoker the other night and it is in my truck to take to my father's on Sunday. It is one heavy hunk of steel. Me and the guy I purchased it from loaded it and I had to curse a little to get up enough strength to lift it.

[Pappy]

We pay for our garbage pickup. The service fee seems to jump every 3 months. But the service is good, and I don't have to pay it if I don't want to.

Ed

I have been in my place since '90 and the quarterly trash collection bill has gone from under $40 to $115 on the last bill but at lest they will pick up everything in or by by the can. Seriously considering investing in a few cans and hauling my own.

[jwaterdawg]

I'm my own trash man so I can only blame myself if it doesn't get hauled away. As an added bonus, a weekly trip to the dump almost always nets some good stuff saved from the landfill. It's amazing what you get at the green box shopping mall.

J

[jziegler]

Believe it or not, some cities have other ways to get ya. A city near me, Plantation, sells "blue bags" explicitly marked, just for garbage that homeowners have to use in order to get pick-up (lookee here).

No special bags here, but a sticker that has to go on the bag. $1 a bag to go out. They won't pick it up without a sticker.

[Kristofor]

$1/bag in New Jersey for trash disposal. Does it have a picture of Tony Soprano on the sticker?