Trash pickup problems

[jonmulzer]

The past three weeks, the trash guys have not emptied two of my trash cans. I was curious why, but was always too busy to call, etc. I have been off this week, so as soon as I had a chance I called about it and they said they would, "send someone over to inspect my trash and then if it passes inspection someone else would come to haul it off." Ok, we have just made a simple one-step process into two distinct steps where two separate city workers could screw it up. Makes sense to me.

That was Wednesday.... I have been trying to stick around the house since then as much as possible so that if/when they show up and if I do not like the outcome I can "voice my opinion" then and there. I was around here all day today, cleaning house. The doorbell works just fine also. I go out to check the mail and there is a note stuck in the slot (mailbox approximately 8" from the button for the doorbell) that says they will not pick up my trash because THERE IS LOOSE TRASH IN THE CANS!!! I couldn't make this up if I tried. For starters, there is loose trash because they did not pick up the first week and animals got into it while I was away at work. Second, they do not pick up the cans anymore and dump them into the truck. They grab the individual trash bags out of the cans.

Another call to the Mayor's Action (Inaction?) Center and they tell me that if I want them to collect my trash I need to take it out of the can and rebag it! Well, that does not explain why they did not pick it up the first week! When I told them that was unacceptable they told me that I could take it to the Mayor's Transfer Center (our mayor seems to be a busy guy eh? I wonder if he will be there pushing a broom?) tomorrow and drop it off there for $5, plus gas, plus the time it will take me to drive there. It is also in one of the worst areas of town where I am more likely to be carjacked and have my truck and wallet stolen, and they would probably leave me along side of the road with my two trash cans still!

I really wish that I were paying a private company for this so at least I could quit paying them their $10 a month of something and get a little satisfaction out of this but as it stands the trash company is paid out of property taxes and I pay for it whether I am happy with the service or not. I am inclined to do one of two things.

a: Leave my trash at the curb in perpetuity until they finally get tired of seeing it and *gasp* pick up the cans and dump them into the truck. My neighbors would love this one.....

b: Take it to the Mayor's Transfer Center tomorrow, say hello to Greg (our mayor), dump off my trash and send them a bill for my time and fuel. I know it would never be paid and I would probably receive a letter politely telling me to %$@ off. At least I would get a little satisfaction though.

And, from here on forward I believe I am going to package all my trash into plastic Wal-Mart bags. If they don't want to dump the cans and would instead pick up the bags from them, they are going to work at it!

Has anyone else ran into things like this??

[cgallery]

Has anyone else ran into things like this??

Actually, yes. A couple of years ago the guys that do the vacuuming of the leaves on the street were doing a crappy job. They would drive around the block four or five times, sometimes backing up, and still not get 1/2 of the leaves.

I called city hall and asked whether the helper that used to walk behind the truck and direct the giant hose into the leaves had been promoted to ride in the cabin. "Nope," the village manager said. She said she would send a memo over to sanitation to correct the problem.

Of course, it didn't correct. So I got my video camera out and taped them three times in a row (different days) with the helper riding in the cabin. I did this from inside the house.

The fourth time I went outside w/ the camera so they could see me. The helper immediately jumped out of the truck and started doing his job.

So I yelled (cause the truck is loud), "SO YOU DO KNOW HOW TO DO YOUR JOB! GOOD!"

I've never seen either of those guys do garbage collection, though. Our garbage guys work their butts off. I really need to do something nice for those guys, they are nice and really hustle, too. I always forget them at X-Mas.

[MilDoc]

Where I used to live trash had to be bagged and left at the curb - no can. Great idea IF there are no dogs in the area! usually wound up with trash from several homes spread by the wind.

Now we use a BIG can, truck picks it up to empty it, so the trash can be loose or bagged. No more bags!

[jonmulzer]

I only wish we had automated collection. Then they would have less cause to look for reasons to not do their job. After my last post I realized something else. The trash can that is I keep in my workshop always has sawdust and chips just dumped into it from the Shop-Vac or dustpan and mysteriously there does not seem to be an accumulation in it. So they will pick that one up, but not the others?

I also considered that it might be a weight issue, but my 5'3" 105lb girlfriend has no issues picking them up. I seriously want to be here when they come next time. Tell them that if they are not capable of it that I can get her to come outside and help them.

[Uncle Cracker]

We have a big can that the truck picks up, but the trash is to be bagged inside. OK, I have no problem with that, except that he picks it up from my driveway, but puts it back down 6 feet out in the street, which not only blocks traffic, but becomes an inviting target for the neighborhood HS kids, who try to see how far they can knock it up into my yard with their pickup trucks... Called the Mayor's secretary after the Trash Dept. ignored my request to put the can back down where it was picked up, That got quick correction. The Mayor's secretary remembers me quite well from our dealings last year when the recycles truck was bypassing my bins about every other week. At that time, I told her that I would gladly bring my trash and leave it at the Mayor's residence, and he could figure out what to do with it from there...

[cabinetman]

Garbage pick-up is a sorry note with me. The City gets so finnicky about protocol. THIS THREAD is a good example of what I'm talking about.

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).

It's a never ending conflict over...yeah...just garbage.
.

[Richard in Smithville]

We are limited to two bags at no more than 50lbs each. If it doesn't fit in the bag, you have to haul it to the dump or call for special pick up. I generally have little trouble as over the summer I usually keep a few plastic water bottles in the freezer and hand them out when the truck comes by. I never have anything left behind and my bins are put gently back.

[Ed62]

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

[L. D. Jeffries]

Be glad you don't live in merry ole England! Item in London Telegraph a couple of weeks ago where home owners trash was not picked up because as it stated; " Wheelie-bins (trash cans to us) had to be able to be moved with no more than TWO fingers"..when the "dustbin men" (garbage men to us) can't move it..too bad it stays at he curb. Talk about the tail wagging the dog..but then the UK has gone nuts these days with all the EU laws. Too bad, a lovely place gone to h**l!

[BobSch]

Sounds like I've got it easy around here. We have a wheeled bin that the truck picks up with an arm but we can also put plastic bags out next to the bin and the driver gets out and tosses them in the truck. All for a reasonable monthly fee to a private company. Maybe we get good service because we've got three (at least) companies competing for the business.

[leehljp]

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).
.

We have 4 (FOUR) different bags that we must purchase to put our garbage into. Each is printed with picts on what can go into that specific bag. AND each city (and sometimes specific Wards) has it's own name printed on it so you have to buy at a store locally. We have to separate for 1. burnable daily/kitchen garbage, 2. Plastics, 3. PET bottles, 4. cans, 5. Aluminum, 6. metal/small applicance, 7. glass, 8. batteries, 9. fluorescent bulbs, 10. books, mags, daily paper

Pick up schedule (except on holidays):
Burnable twice a week,
Others once a month on specific Wednesdays.

Below is a picture of garbage cans for EIGHT DIFFERENT ways of separation at the 2005 World Expo, but it is still common to see as many different "separations" in public places:

(Click on the pict for a larger view)

[jonmulzer]

I do believe I am going to call the mayor. My general feeling is that if customer service tiers don't handle your complaint, go straight to the CEO. He happens to be the CEO of my city. He also lives in a gated community that I have friends in, so therefore access to.

[crokett]

If my trash guy doesn't do his job right, I've got nobody to be mad at, cause he's me. I take it once a month, whether it is full or not. I bring the cans so I don't care whether it is bagged or not.

[eezlock]

trash pick up

Trash pick up is a sore spot for me! I have to call a least once or twice
within a 3 month span of time to get the problem corrected around here.
It seems that no matter what, the trash truck driver decides to miss my roll out cans whenever it is conveient for him to do so and he does!

Our trash pickup day has been Wednesday here on my street for years, so
what do I do? ....I put the roll out containers (2 of them) at curbside late
Tuesday night for early Wednesday pickup. I come home Wednesday afternoon about 4:30 or 5:00 pm ....guess what? trash ain't been picked yet!
What do I do? call trash pickup, and tell them it is still sitting by the curb
where it has been for 24 hours! They say they have checked with driver on my street...he says.."the containers were not at the curb when he came for pick this morning." I tell them, "bullcookies!!" those cans have been there
24 hours just waiting for pickup like always. I want them picked up today,
not next week, so finally a driver and supervisor come out after hours to pick up containers THEY missed! I will call their supervisor at city hall or wherever he is, until something is resolved for sure! My tax dollars pay their salary...so they better get to work and do it right! The squeaky wheel always gets the grease...so keep callin' and complaining and make them do their job! eezlock

[Tom Slick]

I guess I'm lucky. private trash company, fully automated trucks, co-mingle recycling. They don't care what is in the cans, how it is bagged (or not), or how heavy it is. they pick it up with the arm and never get out of the truck.