Ode to the Garbage Guys

[SamSpade]

Where I live, you put all of your recyclables into the ugly yellow bin, and put it on the curb next to the trash can on trash day. A truck comes around and picks everything up. They have separate compartments cut into the side of the truck and sort everything right at the curb. Very snazzy.

At my workplace, they have separate compartments for every kind of recyclable. Paper, cans and even just for food.

Then some guy who doesn't speak English dumps them ALL IN THE SAME HOPPER. Downstairs, he and his buds all separate the trash again.

What's the point?

 

[Cowgirl]

At my workplace, they have separate compartments for every kind of recyclable. Paper, cans and even just for food.

Then some guy who doesn't speak English dumps them ALL IN THE SAME HOPPER. Downstairs, he and his buds all separate the trash again.

What's the point?

Yeah...that's why I get annoyed as well. The recycling guys come to our work and always biatch because we got one little piece of colored paper in the white paper bin. Well, then I watched him dump both bins in the same trash can, so I got in an argument with him. I told him we weren't going to separate them if he wasn't going to either. It's some weird recycling guy power trip.

 

[beamher]

Sweet! We have Waste Mismanagement.

same here; had a cookout a couple of weeks ago and i called to see if they would pick everything--NOT!! then again, maybe so. however, there was a $5 fee for every amount that it would be as if it was in the trash can (can't think of the word she used).

If i pay my bill, why am i limited to the amount of trash that i produce? It must have something to do with the mechanism which picks up the trashcan and dumps it into the trash compartment, so that noone has to even get out of the truck; it was cool to see when my kid called me to the door to see it in action.

 

[desertrat]

same here; had a cookout a couple of weeks ago and i called to see if they would pick everything--NOT!! then again, maybe so. however, there was a $5 fee for every amount that it would be as if it was in the trash can (can't think of the word she used).

If i pay my bill, why am i limited to the amount of trash that i produce? It must have something to do with the mechanism which picks up the trashcan and dumps it into the trash compartment, so that noone has to even get out of the truck; it was cool to see when my kid called me to the door to see it in action.

 

[MMDad]

I don't. Penn and Teller told me it was a waste of time and money. :shrug: They were very convincing.

In 100 years, me descendants will be looking for easy access to supplies of aluminum, glass, and paper. They'll be thanking me for putting it in the landfill where they'll be able to find it.

 

[Larry Gude]

If recycling...

In 100 years, me descendants will be looking for easy access to supplies of aluminum, glass, and paper. They'll be thanking me for putting it in the landfill where they'll be able to find it.

...made any sense at all, business would be paying us for our bottles, papers and cans and it would be worth the effort.

 

[beamher]

they only pick up what's in the provided container; can't be outside of the can. Trust me, i know. Set some stuff out when I first moved to St. Mary's, only to come home from work and it was still there. When i called they told me why.

does anyone know differently??

 

[SamSpade]

If i pay my bill, why am i limited to the amount of trash that i produce?

Because if you line the curb with trash every week, you're cutting into the amount that some other paying customer gets to toss, because of the limited number of hours in a day.

Secondly, most garbage collection still has to go to the landfill, and they pay by weight. You can't expect to put out as much trash as you want and expect them to take it and lose money. If they have to pay more, they pass that on to you - it's the American way. Waste Management WILL let you put out more on the curb - but you have to pay for that.

Lastly unless it's public garbage collection, you're paying for a service through a private vendor - and they have a right to set the rules for their service.

 

[SamSpade]

...made any sense at all, business would be paying us for our bottles, papers and cans and it would be worth the effort.

I think the thing that turned me the most off by recycling was that the biggest producers of daily trash were the newspapers - and most of them refuse to take recycled paper. Ditto for manufactureres of aluminum products - they don't do it, because it's cheaper not to.

 

[Cowgirl]

they only pick up what's in the provided container; can't be outside of the can. Trust me, i know. Set some stuff out when I first moved to St. Mary's, only to come home from work and it was still there. When i called they told me why.

does anyone know differently??

That's because they're trying not to waste time. If you fill up the container and leave all sorts of bags and boxes next to it, it takes them a helluva lot longer to get your trash up. If you have that much trash, just take it to the dump. :shrug:

 

[beamher]

let's see if i can clear it up a little.

let's say you were provided with a 45-gallon trash can and you set trash outside of the can that would actually fill another 45-gallon trash can there is a $5 fee; if it would take two cans, the fee would be $10.

the cust. svc. rep. stated to call them prior to my trash day to let them know.

 

[Cowgirl]

let's see if i can clear it up a little.

let's say you were provided with a 45-gallon trash can and you set trash outside of the can that would actually fill another 45-gallon trash can there is a $5 fee; if it would take two cans, the fee would be $10.

the cust. svc. rep. stated to call them prior to my trash day to let them know.

So what are you upset about? The fact that if you had two cans it would cost you $10?

 

[Cowgirl]

I think the thing that turned me the most off by recycling was that the biggest producers of daily trash were the newspapers - and most of them refuse to take recycled paper. Ditto for manufactureres of aluminum products - they don't do it, because it's cheaper not to.

I'm pretty sure Penn and Teller said the only thing worth recycling was aluminum cans.

 

[beamher]

Because if you line the curb with trash every week, you're cutting into the amount that some other paying customer gets to toss, because of the limited number of hours in a day.

Secondly, most garbage collection still has to go to the landfill, and they pay by weight. You can't expect to put out as much trash as you want and expect them to take it and lose money. If they have to pay more, they pass that on to you - it's the American way. Waste Management WILL let you put out more on the curb - but you have to pay for that.

Lastly unless it's public garbage collection, you're paying for a service through a private vendor - and they have a right to set the rules for their service.

thanks for the info. just moved to the county and didn't know

 

[beamher]

That's because they're trying not to waste time. If you fill up the container and leave all sorts of bags and boxes next to it, it takes them a helluva lot longer to get your trash up. If you have that much trash, just take it to the dump. :shrug:

just had some broken down moving boxes(not all at once) and 1 cookout; i'm still learning

 

[beamher]

previously I didn't had to pay for trash removal(i guess i did with my taxes)nor was there a limit

 

[desertrat]

let's see if i can clear it up a little.

let's say you were provided with a 45-gallon trash can and you set trash outside of the can that would actually fill another 45-gallon trash can there is a $5 fee; if it would take two cans, the fee would be $10.

the cust. svc. rep. stated to call them prior to my trash day to let them know.

That was much better.

 

[desertrat]

Because if you line the curb with trash every week, you're cutting into the amount that some other paying customer gets to toss, because of the limited number of hours in a day.

Secondly, most garbage collection still has to go to the landfill, and they pay by weight. You can't expect to put out as much trash as you want and expect them to take it and lose money. If they have to pay more, they pass that on to you - it's the American way. Waste Management WILL let you put out more on the curb - but you have to pay for that.

Lastly unless it's public garbage collection, you're paying for a service through a private vendor - and they have a right to set the rules for their service.

Plus what would stop a bunch of neighbors getting together and using one drop off point while paying for only one address?

 

[SamSpade]

Plus what would stop a bunch of neighbors getting together and using one drop off point while paying for only one address?

Damn, you're even more devious than me. And I felt guilty for throwing my trash in dumpsters on construction sites.

 

[desertrat]

Damn, you're even more devious than me. And I felt guilty for throwing my trash in dumpsters on construction sites.