Do you have to pay if you put out extra garbage?

[Sun]

The thread on getting organized to move got me wondering. Where I live, I'd never throw donatable items out in the garbage because I'd pay a fortune in extra garbage fees. How common are those fees? Can you throw furniture out and have the city take it away, and how much would that cost you?

[Loowit]

We can only leave whatever fits in our garbage can.  We can't put extra things out beside it because they wouldn't pick it up.  If it doesn't fit then we can take it directly to the garbage dump and pay a fee.  We donate and recycle as much as we can.

[Unicorn.]

You need an "other" button. Our city uses the big green cans, like rural companies use. And yes, we get charged $2 a bag for extra. Before we went to the one big city issued can, we had two or three of the metal cans, and anything after that was an extra $2 fee.

[MomtoCandJ]

Ours is included with our property tax

[unsinkable]

Our garbage is a line item on our property taxes so I didn't know which to pick. It's not "free."

 

We have these gigantic "totes." They are so big you could put a couple bodies in them.

 

You can also throw out almost any trash (boxes, old furniture, etc) and it will be collected. Bundles of branches have to be a certain size.

 

Most any trash that is worth something will get pick up by a collector before the truck comes to pick it up.

[vonfirmath]

You need an "Other" Button

 

We can have up to 6 bags/bundle of yard waste out next to the garbage can. (cut down to 4' or less size). They don't pick up more than that. You have to deliver it/hold it for the next week. (Well, they say they won't pick up. I haven't actually tested that)

 

 

[umsami]

Tough to answer because our garbage fees are part of our property taxes, but I want to say they run about $65/year.

 

They will pick up pretty much anything, but there are specific days/times for big bulky items like old mattress and the like.

[Carrie12345]

Other. Our community has a private garbage contract that allows 4 (any size) cans/wk, bulk items every other week, 1 recycling can every non-bulk week.  If you have more, too bad.

 

ETA: Cost is included in our dues. I don't know where I stuck my annual budget with line items.

[Julie Smith]

It is all handled through taxes. We can put out anything and everything, furniture...

[Um_2_4]

We have contracted services and we get 1 large can (issued by them, holds maybe 4-5 32 gallon sacks , maybe more) a week, plus 1 recycling can plus  1 yard waste per week

We get 3 "large item" pick ups per year free, after that it is $25 per time. Each "time" we can put up to 6 items, we just have to call at least 24 hours in advance. So I called on a Friday for them to do a Tues AM pick up. So far in 2 years, we have done it 1x for an old cal king bed with rails that no one wanted free on craigslist/freecycle.

Seriously our trash cans are huge. We almost NEVER fill them up unless we do some major clean out in the garage. My recycling I fill at least 1/2 way each week with boxes (amazon mostly :lol: ), empty cans/jars/bottles, paper (junk mail, etc.). And we make our mulch so yard waste is limited.

 

Oh and we pay about $20 per month.

[rebbyribs]

Ours is similar to Um_2_4: we have a 35-gal garbage cart issued by the company (other sizes are available) as well as a 65-gal recycling cart and a 65-gal green waste cart.  Each week, our garbage cart gets emptied, and the pickup for the recycling and green waste alternates weeks.  We can call up to 2x per year to have up to 12 35-gal trash bags of extra trash or green waste picked up each time.  The cost is $28 per month.  

[Butter]

Anything that fits in 32 gallon trash bags or in reasonable size boxes they take.  We're limited to 6 32 gallon trash bags or the equivalent twice a week.  Yes, 12 bags a week.  I can't imagine coming near that many!  If you want to put out furniture or appliances you have to call so they know to pick it up and they charge extra, but not an extreme amount.

[Annie G]

We get one 32 gallon trash can picked up every week. Additional bags of trash have to have a sticker on them, and that's 50 cents per bag. 

Recycling is free, and unlimited. 

Yard waste is the killer. We aren't allowed to burn and I live in town so no large lot to accumulate yard waste. We pay $75 per summer PLUS $1 per bag we put out. It has to be in bags.   

 

Large items like old furniture and such is gathered once a year and it's $40 to opt in. We can put out two bulky items and four bags of trash for that amount.  Having other big items picked up starts at $30 per item. 

 

We no longer have a landfill to take our things to so we have to pay someone. The city chooses our provider. 

 

It's $12.02 per month. 

[songsparrow]

Our garbage collection is a little more complicated than the options you listed in your poll.  Our garbage collection is done by our municipality, and we are not charged any fees specifically for it - it's included in our property taxes.  

 

The rules for what we can and can't put out are quite complicated, though.  We can put out up to three 35 gallon cans of refuse, not weighing more than 50 lbs, twice each week.  So basically, if it can fit inside the can and is not incredibly dense, they'll take it.  One of the cans may be building demolition materials.  Sometimes, they'll take more garbage if you put it out, but they're not obligated to do so.  

 

They designate larger items (such as furniture) as "bulky waste" and we can put out up to 3 items twice a month.  Sometimes, they'll take more than 3 if you put it out.  And if your stuff is in decent shape, a lot of it is picked up from the curb before the garbage trucks get there.

 

There are also separate collection options for things such as electronics, light metal, and hazardous wastes.   These are not picked up at the house, but you have to take them to a collection site.

 

The only thing we have to pay for is when we dispose of air conditioners or other items containing freon.  We have to go and buy a sticker and schedule the pickup day.  

 

We can't pay to have extra garbage picked up by the town, but there are private companies that we can hire - we have used them when we needed to do a massive clean out (e.g., tenants move out and leave a ton of stuff behind).  

 

Yard wastes (leaves, grass clippings, prunings, etc) and recycling have their own sets of rules!  

 

Whenever possible, I offer items on our local Freecycle group or I just set them at our curb with a "free" sign - we live on a pretty busy street and most things are picked up right away.

[QueenCat]

We can only leave whatever fits in our garbage can.  We can't put extra things out beside it because they wouldn't pick it up.  If it doesn't fit then we can take it directly to the garbage dump and pay a fee.  We donate and recycle as much as we can.

 

Same here.......... we pay $15/month for once a week pick up. They don't pick up recyclables so we drive those to the recycling center. They do have those all over town, and we pass it most days so it's not a big deal. We can drop extra trash there too. Actually, we could drop it all there, and not pay the monthly fee but I don't like trash build up in the garage, and fear spills of nasty stuff in my car.

[Ellie]

Our water and trash are combined.

 

Here in Round Rock, anything I leave out by the curb will be gone. We remodeled our master bathroom four years ago and tried every way we could think of to find a place for our cultured marble sink other than the landfill. Nope. Not Habitat for Humanity, not Craigs List, not nobody wanted it. So finally I convinced Mr. Ellie to put it out with the trash, and yup, it was taken away. Ditto our old water heater. And a bird cage.

 

In San Jose, it was not so. Only that which fit in the special trash cans was taken. We got some amazing stuff in that can...

[Sun]

It never occurred to me that some people would pay for garbage via property taxes. It also didn't occur to me that some (many) places would provide 60+ gallon cans! Where I live many people, including us get by with 20-gallons or 12-gallons of garbage per week! It's roughly $1 per gallon in our city, and extra garbage rates are more than $10 per bundle. It would add up really fast if I tried to clean out my basement and throw it all away!

 

I added a few new poll option, and an other button because now I know I'm forgetting all sorts of situations.

 

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

We don't get charged for extra and we have monthly recycle pickup. Garbage is billed with water and sewer.

[Joker]

Our fees are included in our property taxes and there is no limit on how much garbage. You can even leave old furniture and appliances out and they will take them. Our recycling is also included in our property taxes and they pick up on a different day and are extremely picky about what they will take. Both garbage and recycling are done weekly. We supply our own garbage cans (you can just leave out bags) and the city supplies us with recycling bins. Yard waste is picked up weekly the same day as recycling but by someone different.

[BigMamaBird]

We were doing some demolition in the basement and contacted our disposal company.  They allowed us to fill an additional garbage drum and place it with our weekly garbage.  They took it, no hassle, no fee.  We rarely even fill half our container so I don't know if that was a consideration. 

[Entropymama]

Who knew garbage was so interesting. 

 

We  pay our garbage in a bundle to the city along with water and sewer. It has always been this way, I've never heard of it being part of your taxes and we've lived in 4 states! 

 

We get a big green can picked up once per week and a recycling can picked up every other week. If there is anything out of the can we get charged $10 but you can put as much as you want out and they'll pick it all up for the flat fee. Once per year they do a free pick up of big stuff, even appliances. 

[Pawz4me]

Ours is included in our property tax. I have no idea how much the cost is for garbage. We have a huge can for garbage that's picked up every week and an equally huge can for recycling that's picked up every other week. I want to say the cans are 90 gallons, but I'm not sure. But they're really big. Our trash for a week fills up maybe a fourth of our can. Yard waste is collected weekly. For bulky items we have to call for pick up but there is no charge

[Annie G]

Our garbage collection is a little more complicated than the options you listed in your poll.  Our garbage collection is done by our municipality, and we are not charged any fees specifically for it - it's included in our property taxes.  

 

The rules for what we can and can't put out are quite complicated, though.  We can put out up to three 35 gallon cans of refuse, not weighing more than 50 lbs, twice each week.  So basically, if it can fit inside the can and is not incredibly dense, they'll take it.  One of the cans may be building demolition materials.  Sometimes, they'll take more garbage if you put it out, but they're not obligated to do so.  

 

They designate larger items (such as furniture) as "bulky waste" and we can put out up to 3 items twice a month.  Sometimes, they'll take more than 3 if you put it out.  And if your stuff is in decent shape, a lot of it is picked up from the curb before the garbage trucks get there.

 

There are also separate collection options for things such as electronics, light metal, and hazardous wastes.   These are not picked up at the house, but you have to take them to a collection site.

 

The only thing we have to pay for is when we dispose of air conditioners or other items containing freon.  We have to go and buy a sticker and schedule the pickup day.  

 

We can't pay to have extra garbage picked up by the town, but there are private companies that we can hire - we have used them when we needed to do a massive clean out (e.g., tenants move out and leave a ton of stuff behind).  

 

Yard wastes (leaves, grass clippings, prunings, etc) and recycling have their own sets of rules!  

 

Whenever possible, I offer items on our local Freecycle group or I just set them at our curb with a "free" sign - we live on a pretty busy street and most things are picked up right away.

 

Your rules are more convoluted than ours are!   I wish we could put out  demo debris! Our rules specifically prohibit that and we've spent the past 20 years remodeling this 135 year old house. Disposing of the debris has been a nightmare!

[mamaraby]

I couldn't answer the poll because the answers didn't cover our situation. Ours is on our water bill along with wastewater and fire protection. The city recent switched to automated pick-up so we have one of those big cans for garbage and one for recycling. The pick up garbage every week and recycling every other week. As far as I know, as long as it fits in the can and the lid substantially closes, they'll pick it up. I'd say it's in the $10-$14/mo range.

 

I actually prefer this to the way they did it before. If it was too heavy before, they wouldn't pick it up. Also, the recycling bin was tiny compared to the one we have now. We were always running out of room and scrambling to find something to put recycling in. Big stuff we can either take to the landfill for a price or we can rent a dumpster.

 

Having the city pick it up with unionized municipal employees is also cheaper than when we lived in Minnesota and had to contract with a company ourselves to pick up.

[redsquirrel]

I can't do the poll. We don't have 'extra' garbage. All garbage is all charged by weight.  We are charged by the pound, 3.50 per 35lbs. 35lbs is about a standard big garbage can. We stuff ours full and put one tag on it and they always pick it up. We buy the tags in sheets of 6. You put the tag around the handle of the garbage can and the trash collectors rip it off when they empty your can. The tags are a very bright colour and easy to see.

 

The more you recycle, the lighter your garbage, so the less you pay. My family of four puts out one can, so one tag costing 3.50, per month. So I pay about 3.50 a month for garbage pick up. We recycle everything we can, we compost and have a garbage disposal system so there is no food waste in our garbage. It takes up a long time to get to a full can.

 

We used to have weekly garbage pick up, but the city does such a good job recycling that now it is every other week. Recycling gets picked up every week. The garbage costs to the city have actually been coming down. We are saving money due to recycling.

 

There are separate yard waste tags and pick up.

 

If you have something heavy or between pick up weeks etc you can bring it to the dump and pay by weight. They weigh your car going in and coming out. Quarterly they have 'toxic waste day" which is stuff like paint and other chemicals and batteries. You have to bring that to the dump yourself but they have people there to make sure you dispose of it in the proper way. There is also a dump/recycling system for tech waste. Things like computers, televisions, etc need to be disposed of carefully.

[Susan in TN]

We pay $7 extra per month for a second trash bin, whether we use it or not. There is no charge for large items (furniture or appliances) though we do have to call and arrange a pick-up.

[MrsMommy]

I voted that we pay one charge for extra multiple items (you have to schedule an extra pick-up for it, too). However, if the garbage man if feeling friendly, he'll pick up one or two extra small things besides the can and throw it in his truck. But, if he's feeling grumpy, he just leaves it there. And you never know which way it's going to go, so it's kind of a gamble.

[DawnM]

I put no, we can put out anything and everything, but that is the category that fit the best.......we can put out extra stuff, but we can't put out huge things like a couch or chair.  They won't take that.

 

When we lived in CA we could have ONE garbage can and it had to close.  If it was propped open by too much stuff, they wouldn't even touch it.

 

Dawn

[laughing lioness]

It's extra work, but that's about it. We burn, compost and haul to the dump 1x/yr for $25 load.

[Cinder]

I voted Yes, extra charge per bag plus fees for large items because that was closest. Actually we can place an extra bag or box next to our bin and we don't get charged extra for that (though they actually *can* charge us according to their detailed "extra charges" list). The disposal service provides our bin; it's 95 gal. We pay about $15 per month. (ETA: I voted other for the fee part because our bin size is so much larger than what you listed in the question.)

 

If there is a large item to dispose you can schedule a pickup. They have a detailed price list for that ranging from $5 for a door to $30 for a couch or entertainment center. They also recommend you consider donating it to someplace that will come pick it up to avoid these extra charges.

[Aspasia]

We don't get an extra charge or a monthly bill. I THINK our garbage fee is covered by HOA dues?

[Farrar]

I put that it's "free" but it's not really free, it's just not a separate fee - it's all from the communal tax pot and we pay the taxes.

 

They'll take ANYTHING here.  The other day I had an awesome experience where i had just hacked down most of a dead bush in my front yard and the garbage truck was driving past and the guy leaned out the window and said, "Hey, want to throw that on the back?"  Oh, yes, I did!

 

We can also haul it ourselves without fee, which is nice.  The one thing we don't have great service in is e-cycling, which can only be done by hauling it yourself on certain very limited days.

[unsinkable]

It never occurred to me that some people would pay for garbage via property taxes. It also didn't occur to me that some (many) places would provide 60+ gallon cans! Where I live many people, including us get by with 20-gallons or 12-gallons of garbage per week! It's roughly $1 per gallon in our city, and extra garbage rates are more than $10 per bundle. It would add up really fast if I tried to clean out my basement and throw it all away!

 

I added a few new poll option, and an other button because now I know I'm forgetting all sorts of situations.

DH and I are trying to decide how big our tote actually is. You can buy another one but there is a choice of 65 gallons or 95 gallons. I think ours is 65 but DH says it's 95 gallons. It is just enormous.

[Rachel]

If you put out something like a mattress or washing machine you are supposed to call for pick up but junkers usually drive through and get anything of value before trash day.

[Kathryn]

I voted "No. We can put anything and everything out, and they'll take it away without charging extra." and "Other." Other because we don't pay based on how much they pick up. We pay $47 every three months. We are provided with a large roll cart (not sure how big they are, both my kids could fit in one though) for trash and one for recycling. If we have more than that, we have to use our own containers.

 

ETA: at my mother's house 5 miles away (but another county), it's the same set-up, only it's part of their taxes so they don't get directly billed.

[unsinkable]

I just looked up our tax bill.

 

Garbage fee is $255 for the year.

[In The Great White North]

We have to haul it to the dump ourselves.  It's $2.50 a bag plus $25 a year for a sticker.

[Amber in SJ]

Our medium sized garbage can & gigantic recycling bin weekly pickup cost $120 quarterly.  We can recycle just about anything; paper, plastic 1-8, cardboard, fabric, glass, cans, so on & so forth.  We don't have to sort; it all goes in the same bin.  San Jose has a national flagship recycling program.  I guess if you have to be the best at something it might as well be garbage :)  If you have cardboard boxes that might fill up your bin (hello Amazon!) you can flatten them and put them next to your can &  they will get taken away.  We can also put out any yard waste in a nice pile as long as it doesn't have fruit on the branches and is chopped up into manageable pieces.  Yard waste is taken away to be composted.  Used motor oil is collected in a jug that is provided.  You have to pre-pay for a large item pick-up.  The last time we did it I called & paid $30 for up to 3 items.  

 

 

Once a year is free dumpster day.  Our local senator sponsors the event and we get a ticket & a map where there are 8-10 dump sites in our local neighborhood and what they will be accepting at each site.  There is always at least one site that is designated "construction debris."  You have to get there early, show some ID that proves you live in the neighborhood and once the dumpsters are filled it is over.  It turns into a funny neighborhood party because my Dh will say, I am taking a few things over to "construction debris" and I have a few things that need to go to "e-waste."  And the neighborhood junk gets divided up :)

 

Amber in SJ

[Alessandra]

Oh my, I never knew people had to pay by the can. Everywhere I've lived, we just put it out. Property taxes cover it, but there is no itemization.

 

The guys come to our back door 2 x/week to collect garbage, no need for me to bring it to the curb, but if I had extra from, say, cleaning out the garage, I would put it curbside as a courtesy. Paper and plastic are put in supplied recycling bins and left at the curb! 1x/week. Leaves are piled on the side of the road, but only in leaf season.

 

There is a town recycling center where you can bring electronics, metal, etc, etc, lots of different areas. Furniture, construction debris -- they take most everything and are open 6 days per week. No extra charge, but you need to get a resident's sticker for your car.

 

The one awkward thing is paint cans and so on that I have to take to a special recycling place -- one day per month, location varied, but never nearby, ugh.

[Lolly]

Ours is billed with our electric/water. $10 a month for a large green can. A second can can be ordered for the house for an extra $10 month fee. The cans are larger than what you described. We also have a smaller recycle can that is included in the $10 fee for the first can. It is only picked up every other week. We can put anything out on the curb for collection though. I've seen entire houses cleaned out after the owner passed away and their stuff piled out on the curb. I mean a mountain of stuff. It takes time, but eventually it all is hauled away. Today I put out an old over/stove and warming oven. Of course, it was gone within the hour. I pretty much can count on anything being picked up before the city comes by. By now, I am probably a regular stop for someone who makes their living selling scrap and such.

[Crimson Wife]

Twice per year there is a bulk collection at no extra charge. It's the week after Christmas and then sometime in June (I should double-check exactly when). Those weeks we can put out a certain number of extra bags.

 

The other 50 weeks we could arrange special pick-up at a per-bag charge. We did a couple of those when we were getting ready to move because it was cheaper than the quotes we got for a dumpster from the various private hauling companies.

[KungFuPanda]

I have a garbage day. I can put out 2-3 cans with no issue. I have no idea if there is a limit.

 

We have a separate recycling day. My recycling bin is huge.

 

If we have bulk trash or scrap metal we have to call and schedule a pick-up.

 

None of this is billed directly to us but is part of an association fee that comes out of our mortgage payment. My city has a rather odd set-up.

[AmandaVT]

I miss living in RI where garbage pickup was part of property taxes! And we could leave anything out. 

 

Here, it's $35/month for every other week pick up. $4 per bag extra and it's very expensive for large items. I had priced it out a few months ago and a floor lamp was going to be $8! A plastic lawn chair would be $10 (I don't think I paid that much new). Recycling is free and I can leave out extra bags if needed, although our recycling bin is as large as our garbage bin. There's talk of adding composting bins too which would be great.

[Tap]

We pay $58 every two months.  That includes one can of debris weekly, one extra large recycling can weekly, and glass in a side bin.  Every other week we get an extra large yard debris.   We are charged $3.50 for an extra bag or can.  Large items have an extra charge.

[TrixieB]

We can put out extra garbage, but we have to buy a tag for each extra bag/can or it will show up on the next bill. 

 

The city will not automatically pick up furniture, electronics, etc. that is left at the curb -- just garbage cans and bagged garbage.  We have to schedule a special pickup for big items and pay a separate fee.

 

Also, if the garbage has visible food scraps or yard waste or recycling (paper/plastic/glass/cans), the driver won't pick it up the garbage at all.  He leaves a form attached to the garbage can.  Food/yard waste has to go in the yard waste container (which has its own monthly charge) and recycling in its own container (no monthly charge).  There is a huge list of what can go in the garbage, and what has to go to hazardous waste, transfer station, etc.

[sbgrace]

The garbage pick up is part of water bill for in city residents here. The truck picks up what you fit in 96 gallon garbage totes. It's mechanical, so it's just stuff in the totes unless you call for extra pick up. However, they will pick up extra for free if you call. I'm sure that is within reason, but I don't see a specific limit. Each house is provided one garbage tote, but you can purchase more if needed. The home we bought came with two. We have a yard waste toter too. The truck picks up whatever number.

 

In our old town, a private/independent company did garbage pick up. This was something we paid for individually to the company directly, and any extra was charged. This extra included yard waste, which had to be put in the garbage. I hated it. It was similar to what you describe OP. It was much more expensive.

 

The difference in our new area is that the city runs the garbage pick up. Economies of scale I guess. It's a lot cheaper in every way. It looks like it's a bit over $12 a month no matter the amount.

[SorrelZG]

Maybe not relevant since we're not in the States but we only recently got trash pickup service and, based on our average trash amount, it costs us $3/mo with the stipulation that if we have more trash than normal, we have to buy the guy a coffee.

[LostSurprise]

I couldn't really vote because we do have unlimited bags/trash but we can't put everything in our trash. They will pick up furniture and gigantic messes (when we moved in the people before us left a huge, messy pile and I was pleasantly surprised that everything was removed) but some things (refrigerators, large electronics, industrial/construction waste, tires, paint and other chemicals) have to be separated out for environmental reasons. You take those things to whichever special dumping place they need to go to, and sometimes pay a fee. 

 

Dumping yard waste is not allowed. Garbage and recycling is contracted out. The city deals with yard waste. We only have to rake our leaves into the street in the fall and leave piles of sticks and grass on the boulevard near the curb. A truck will take it away when they do their rounds. Everything is composted, and you can get free wood chips or compost if you call city hall. They'll bring them over in a truck. 

 

Garbage is a part of property tax. The charge is under $100 for that and recycling. Yard waste is a part of city taxes and not line-itemed. 

[Sun]

DH and I are trying to decide how big our tote actually is. You can buy another one but there is a choice of 65 gallons or 95 gallons. I think ours is 65 but DH says it's 95 gallons. It is just enormous.

 

I looked up our city's garbage rates, and you can get 65 and 95 gallon cans here too. The 95 gallon ones are almost $100 per month! We don't have a can anywhere near that size--ours is about 20 gallons.

 

Our recycling pick-ups are free, and we pay a smaller amount for yard waste (including food collection). I recently called to get a second recycling bin because our first was always full, and they delivered this ENORMOUS rolling can. I think it must be the 95 gallon size because it makes our old recycling cart look small--and I used to think that one was huge!

[Stratford]

We have twice weekly pickup for garbage, once weekly recycling pickup, large items are once a week, yard waste is monthly.  We can put out 2 cans (or 2 items) at a time.  Extra bags/cans/items need a sticker from the township, costs about $2 each.  We pay about $30 a month.