Jump to content

Menu

Today's culture differences question: if you have municiple garbage pick-up how does it work?


rose
 Share

Recommended Posts

I am completely jealous of everyone who gets their recycling picked up every week!   We have the big trash cans- one recycling and one trash- that get picked up by the automated truck, but only the trash is picked up every week.   We hardly ever have a full trash can, but the recycling can is always full.  We cut up cardboard boxes and crush things like milk cartons, but we still always put out a very full recycle bin and have more in the garage.

 

The village contracts with one of the services in the area, and then passes on the cost in our quarterly water bill. The same trucks run around and first pick up the garbage, then come back a few hours later for the recycling.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have twice weekly trash pick up and once a week pick up for recyclables that alternates between glass/metal/plastic one week and paper the next. Bulk refuse, like carpet and furniture has to be left out on the 2nd trash pick up of the week. Once a month there is a white goods pick up but we need to call to let them know we have something to pick up. There used to be a $50 fee for air conditioners, I'm not sure if that's still applicable. The town just provided everyone with new bins for recyclables a few weeks ago - that was a nice surprise. The cost is rolled into our property taxes, which are quite high. There are no limits on how much can be put out, but if it's a lot we usually go out when we hear the truck and give the guys a decent tip. If you consistently had a lot it would probably be a problem.

Edited by dsmith
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We too get much more "recycle garbage" than "regular garbage" at our house.  Within a week the recycle can is sometimes overflowing.  What I do then is use a cardboard box for the overflow and put it next to the recycle bin.  So far they have never refused to take it.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Weekly pickup for garbage, compost (green bin), and recycling.  Paper in the grey bin, plastic and glass in the blue bin.  Green, blue and grey bins for curbside pickup are provided for each home by the municipality.  Two different trucks.  One for compost and garbage, the other for recycling.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are in a large-ish town.

 

Garbage and recycling pickup is on the same day, once per week, but the time they come varies wildly. We recently got recycling bins that the truck can grab and dump into the truck. Before that, we had shallow, uncovered bins and paper would blow out of people's bins on windy days. 

 

Our recycling has, for as long as I've been living here (15+ years) mixed media recycling. It's all sorted at the recycling plant. 

 

We rent, but I'm pretty sure the fee for garbage pick up comes out of property taxes. 

 

We are allowed only one large recycling bin, but there's no limit on garbage. Before the recycling bins, we were allowed to put recycling into clear bags and the recycling truck would pick up the clear bags in addition to the lidless bins. 

 

We have special days in the spring and fall and maybe a few times in the summer for lawn waste (i.e. leaves and grass clippings) 

 

Apartment complexes have dumpsters for their tenants and usually do not offer recycling.  

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Large, rolling bins, provided by my city. Different colors for trash and recycle.

 

Weekly curbside pickup for trash. Monthly for recycle. Recycle takes everything except glass, all in one bin. The city has recycle centers too. I drop glass there every few weeks.

 

The tricks are the ones with just a dtiver and an arm that grabs, lifts and empties the bins.

 

Cuty provides as many recycle bibs as you like. Trash bins depend on how many people in your household and beyond a certain point they charge for more bins more pick-up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have every other week pickup, one big recycling, and one garbage can. Our garbage service is private, so we pay $40/month for 2 pick ups. Expensive, but better than going to the dump. I think they're adding in composting too, but for now, we do that here.

 

I usually end up with 1 or 2 garbage bags in the can and my recycling is overflowing. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Large suburb.

 

We have our own bins. There is no limit on the number of bins or any standard to color, size or shape. I think we have union trash collectors.

 

Garbage collection is twice a week. Recycling is once a week, on a different day, but one week they pick up metal/glass/plastic and the next week is cardboard.

 

Bulk is once a week, on the same day as regular garbage. People put out furniture, drywall, whatever. If it is in a bag, the bag cannot be heavier than 50 lbs. If you have large appliances, like a refrigerator, air conditioner, etc., you can call and schedule pickup on a bulk day once a month, up to two (I think) appliances.

 

On bulk days people drive around in  pickup trucks and get nicer items or things they can sell for scrap (metal). I think this is great and try to put out bulk stuff before dark so they can see. It is honest work and helps provide for their families.

 

We also have paper shredding and electronics recylcing in the spring/summer on local college campuses. This is about once every 3 weeks and the location is announced in advance. You can bring up to 4 electronics items (old computer, etc.) or about 4 trash bags of paper shredding per vehicle. They are supposed to check residency, but never do. It takes too long to do that.

 

ETA

 

There is also grass collection in the summer once a week, and leaf collection in the fall once a week.

Edited by RosemaryAndThyme
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We live in the suburbs.

Trash and recycling bins go out on the curb every Tuesday for the city trucks to pick it up. IN my neighborhood both are usually emptied by mid afternoon.

One week each month (the second for my area) is bulk trash pick up.  If it doesn't fit in the bin or can't go in the bin you leave it on your property side of the sidewalk and the city trucks pick it up.  It can be anything: yard trimmings, old mattresses, furniture, electronics, cans of pain, etc.  They pick it up and do the sorting at their facility. You never know which day that week it will be picked up but it's usually gone by Wednesday or Thursday at our house.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Every place we've lived is different.  Currently, in a small TX city:  P/u twice a week, up to 4 massive trash cans, no recycling--that got shut down.  Less that $25 per month.  Downsides: We usually have half a small can full for each pickup. You buy your own can at Walmart or Lowes.

 

Another TX city:  shared dumpsters in the alley. P/u twice a week.  Downside: wind blows trash around and animals got into the dumpsters.  Free with our rent.  Did some great dumpster diving.

 

SC small town: P/u once a week.  Grouchy city employees. Landlord refused to replace worn out bin. They refused to take our trash.  $75 for a new bin. Included in water bill.

 

Other SC: Outside city limits, no trash pickup...so we hauled our trash to the most awesome county dump ever!  Super clean. Run by inmates on work release. Funded over 100% by recycling the cardboard.  The workers would come to your car and help you get trash out and take things to the recycling dumpsters.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I grew up rurally, so we either brought our trash to the dump ourselves (my parents still do this) or pay a company to come haul it away once a week.

 

Now I live in a large suburb. We each have a large bin on wheels (I've heard British people call them "wheely bins", love that!) that we put at the curb once a week. If we have additional trash that doesn't fit in the bin, we put it beside it. They take most everything, except wood, lawn debris, toxic items like paint, and electronics. Even large furniture items and appliances will be picked up. We have another identical large bin of a different color for recycling, which is picked up bi-weekly. There is also a municipal drop-off center where we can bring our trash on off-days if we are going out of town, moving, etc., or to dispose of items not collected in the weekly pick-up (as listed above).

 

Having grown up without municipal pick-up, I realize how lucky I am and greatly appreciate the service.

 

Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have the bins and the trucks with the automatic arm.  There are 3 choices of bins and every house was provided a bin of their choice of size when they started the program.  Additional bins were available for sale.  You can increase or decrease your size bin whenever you want by taking your current bin to one of the main locations and they will exchange them fror you.  Garbage is picked up every week and recycling (single stream) every other week.  On weeks when there is no recycling, they have bulk pick-up meaning furniture, appliances (but your have to buy a special stickers for those) and other large bulky items (most have special fees).  They also have a truck that comes around for garden/yard waste.  You just pile it by the curb and they pick it up.  There is no schedule for it but they do make it through each neighborhood at least once a month.

 

Also there is about 5 sites around town where you can drop stuff off 6 days a week.  I regularly go there and get rid of boxes because they accumulate too fast for the every other week schedule plus I don't have to flatten them then, I can just toss them in the back of the truck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rural area. We select our trash company and pay them. 

Trash and recycling picked up weekly. 

Yard waste is not included, I could pay extra to have yard waste picked up during specific time periods... never looked into it, we manage that ourselves. Along with compost, we have our own compost bins.

 

They provided a large rolling recycling bin, everything is mixed together and we generally fill it every week but often skip a week too. 
Trash is large trash cans that we own, no limit but we generally just fill one trash can every other week.  I think we could rent trash cans from them if we wanted to - no thanks.

 

This company put giant stickers on my trash cans when we switched to them, upside down even. That made me so mad; they do it to help their drivers spot their houses -- but they still got a grumpy call from me, don't deface my property with your stickers! They were easy to remove. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We're in a fairly rural area. There are several trash companies to choose from. The one we uses picks up trash weekly and mixed recycling every other week. We use the large rolling trash cans provided (color coded lids for trash and recycling) and they have the arm trucks, but we live on a cul-de-sac and the circle is too tight for the truck, so the guys have to get out to pull out dumpster out to the truck. 

 

We usually only have 1-2 kitchen size trash bag worth of trash per week, but our recycling is often full being picked up every other week. We definitely recycle more than we throw away, almost double the amount in fact. I love the large dumpster for mixed recycling!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I live in a very small "village" in a mostly rural area with a lot of wildlife. Our town has bear proof dumpsters around town. Everyone has to take household trash and put it in the dumpsters. Trash (or pet food, or freezers) cannot be left outside in a bag or can unless you want bears having a party on your front porch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Until we moved we had the same situation. Trash one week and recycling the next. If you are doing a diligent job of recycling, trash wasn't too bad. Though we did have the advantage of living on Main Street. They did a west and east of main switch off for pickup, but would allow us to put ours out on the other side's week if we wanted. 😉

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We're outside the city. Trash pickup is weekly. They have actual people get down and lift the bags out of your trash can (or dump the can if it's small). There is no recycling pickup at all, but there are recycling trailers located at the elementary schools nearby. You have to sort everything and drive it over there.

 

My parents live in the city (a couple towns over), and they have automated trash pickup and recycling pickup. I think they're once a week for each. I'm pretty sure trash pickup was twice a week when I was a kid (in that same house). The city I'm closest to (just a few minutes down the road) has automated trash pickup, but I don't think they do recycling pickup at all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...