Rural Garbage Service Mandatory ..

[Bird]

Whew, compared to you guys, maybe I've just been lucky. Down in the country, the only garbage collection was done by a private individual residents could hire or not, at their option. We did burn quite a bit of trash, but we also used the local guy and he picked up the garbage once a week for $12 a month (in 2002). Then we moved back to town 5 years ago, and now we pay $9.28 a month on our water bill for Waste Management to pick up the garbage once a week. And these guys will just about take anything they can fit into the truck. A lot of people set garbage cans out and the crew on the truck empties them; others, such as us, put it all in plastic bags so the crew on the truck can just grab them and throw them into the truck. They'll take brush, supposedly has to be cut in 4' lengths and tied in bundles of no more than 60 pounds, but from what I've seen, if they can pick it up and fit into that packer truck, they take it; brush, furniture, etc. I've even seen them take sofas. And they're here every Monday, rain or shine, holiday or not, even when Christmas fell on a Monday.

There's another big difference, too. When we lived out in the country, there was ONE SATURDAY each YEAR that we could take stuff to the landfill at no cost. The rest of the year, you paid to dump it. I think I paid $11 for a pickup load. Here, I can haul my own to the Waste Management landfill at no cost, just by showing the guard my drivers license and a water bill to show that I live in this city. So a couple of times when I've done some tree pruning, I hauled a pickup load to the landfill rather than cut and bundle the brush for the garbage men to take.

 

[George2615]

Back in 1990 when we bought our house we had a local gargabe company pick up trash once a week. It cost about $15 a month. Then he sold out to the big waste company who promptly raised the rate to $65 a quarter for a once a week pickup and we had to separate everything for recycling and certain things they refused to take. At that point I got a dump sticker for $50 a year and took my own trash to the dump once a week. That price has gone up over the years to $100 a year now but still worth it since I can haul anything to the dump. I think the big waste company charges about $240 a quarter now but not sure. Dump is only 6 miles away so thats where I go.

 

[Tig]

Picked up by the municipality. In Ottawa they pick up garbage. It's paid for out of our property taxes. Paper is recycled in the "black box" every second week. Blue box is for recycling plastic and tin, picked up on alternate weeks.
At our country place they pick up a different array of recyclables. To get your garbage picked up you must buy a bag tag ($1) and put it on the bag.

 

[Bird]

I take my trash to work and use their dumpster. That's an unwritten work benefit.

I know, when we lived down in the country, that several people in the area did the same thing, and it sounds to me like a good idea as long as your employer has no objections. But I know, in some cities at least, it's illegal to put your garbage in someone else's dumpster or garbage containers. And some people have gotten tickets for it when they didn't know it was illegal. Of course that would not be the case if it's your employer, but to use other dumpsters sometimes gets people in trouble.

I just thought I'd mention it in case anyone is not aware of such laws.

 

[Highbeam]

I've got a pickupbed full of trash right now to be delivered to the transfer station after work. I deposit the trash into the top of a semi trailer that is parked at a low elevation. The full trailer is then hauled to the landfill. Minimum charge is 20$ for 400 lbs and then additional lbs at that rate. Most of the time my 6 garbage cans don't weigh 400 lbs. I can recycle too but I don't. Cans are light, glass isn't accepted, and paper is burnt. I recycle used engine oil at this same transfer station for free. I can load whatever kind of trash I want into my truck where the garbage collection men are weaklings that want a certain weight and content within the cans. For example, I had a boned out deer carcass to dispose of recently.

I spend less than 20$ per month doing this compared to about 40$ per month for optional collection service. The whole experience of hauling my trash makes me more connected with my life's habits. I find it enjoyable.

 

[TimC]

Here it depends on the city, but unincorporated county land requires no Garbage service. I could get mine picked up for $20 a month, but I always used to forget to leave my trash on the curb, so I just take my own garbage. The county maintains a number of collection locations that take anything, and have recycling for just about anything. I save Aluminum cans and steel scrap and take them to sell to the recycler. At $.065/lb for steel and $.60/lb for aluminum, it usually gets me enough to be worth the trouble.

Oh, and I used to live in a city that had the "pay as you throw" garbage system... You'd buy special bags at the store for $1 each for a 30 gal bag and they would haul it away. Those bags were the thinnest garbage bags I ever used. We would bag our garbage in good bags, then Drape a pay bag over it. I hated that system!

 

[Ductape]

Here our town has a private trash company pick up once a week, which is paid for through our property taxes. I'm fairly happy with the service, as they will take as many bags / cans as you put out at the street. They won't take brush, hazardous materials, etc, ....... but as long as its just trash they'll take it. Best thing about the trash company is their logo, in BIG letters across the back of their trucks, " SATISFACTION GUARANTEED....... OR DOUBLE YOUR TRASH BACK !" Good to see a sense of humor.

 

[RobertN]

Here, we have the option of weekly service for a fee(I think it is $35/mnth), or disposing of it ourselves at the local transfer station. We have done both. I used to have a trash trailer that I took out every 3-4 weeks. It could get ripe in that time. We decided to go with pickup service. Originally, we had to haul our cans a mile to the entrance of our neighborhood; now we have curb side service. We have weekly garbage, while green waste and paper/glass type recycle are on opposite weeks; this week was green recycle...

We usually do not have green wate; all the green waste is composted.

we do recycle glass, plastic and metal. Recyclables that do not get a rebate we send in the bi-weekly recycle.

I've been trying to get my 13 year old son to go around and take cans out for the neighbors. I told him, $1/can, a week, he could go haul the cans out around the 57 properties in our area. We could even rig a 3pt can grabber, or make one for the loader, so he could just buzz around the neighborhood on the Kubota. He has not gone for that yet...

I will add, that it is illegal as all get out to burn trash here.... In the winter, we can burn leaves, pine needles, branches. But, no trash, construction debri etc.

 

[blueriver]

Here our town has a private trash company pick up once a week, which is paid for through our property taxes. I'm fairly happy with the service, as they will take as many bags / cans as you put out at the street. They won't take brush, hazardous materials, etc, ....... but as long as its just trash they'll take it. Best thing about the trash company is their logo, in BIG letters across the back of their trucks, " SATISFACTION GUARANTEED....... OR DOUBLE YOUR TRASH BACK !" Good to see a sense of humor.

Check that guarantee to see if they are a reputible company, If I where you I'd call them first thing and tell them you are not satisfied just to see if they really mean it and stand behind their guarantee!!

 

[LBrown59]

The city has mandatory trash pick up.
I live outside the city where thank God we have we have voluntary trash service.
Mandatory trash pick up stinks in more ways than one.
I don't have trash service.
I take mine to a land fill about 18 miles away as needed.
The land fill is run by the local trash hauler.
It cost a little more for me per trip than when I was signed up with the hauler, but I pay for fewer trips to the land fill than I did when I was with the trash hauler so the total cost per year is less.
I would just take my BX23 and bury the stuff here if I wasn't so close to town and right along a state highway.
If I was out in the country 40 miles from nowhere and way back off the highway on some county or township road I would just bury the stuff.