Garbage Service + Composting

[LauAnn]

Our township's recycling program is free -- paper, glass, metals, plastics, leaves, yard waste.

Garbage pickup costs about $300 annually. But you can choose to 'pay by the bag' @ $4.00 per pag. I bought 5 bags three years ago but haven't used one yet as I have a garbage disposal and take a small bag down the street to my parents.

[grasshopper]

No composting, the rattlesnakes love warm and moist. I take a PU load down to a transfer station about once a month 35 miles round trip and $7 for the load. The county does recycle almost everything but glass, they say it weights to much for free. Of course this summer a bear would climb up in the bed and throw everything out on the drive. We are allowed to burn, but being a firefighter I just can't see the reason.

[jazz4cash]

We pay 350/yr as a line item on our property tax bill. We get 2 trash/1 recycle and 1 yard waste pickup per week. Also, they collect xmas trees in Jan. No limit on volume per pickup. That also pays for heavy pickups (appliances, etc.) which are done on request.

I compost all my yard waste. Garbage disposal takes care of most household garbage.....too many critters to put that stuff in with the yard waste without taking some precautions to keep them out.

I would say less than 1/4 of houses in my area use the yard waste service. The recycle service seems to be getting more useage.

We are seeing 2-5 cents per bag taxes imposed at various local municipalities for purchased items to encourage people to bring thier own bags. The landfill has free service to residents for anything that fits in a passenger car. They banned personnel pickup trucks as of last year.

My in-laws in CA are limited to a single 40 gal can per week. Extra cans are $6 ea. They are quite creative about reducing the volume of thier waste.

I believe that none of us really pays the true cost to dispose of the waste from all the crap that we consume.

[ratto]

Thank you all for sharing your thoughts and experiences. Taking my load into my neighbor's might not be feasible because we live in a little rural area which each home is on its own well, septic systems, with/without recycling, and uses different garbage service companies which come at different schedules. We have about four garbage companies in our area, and mine is probably is the cheapest.

I like the idea of paying by per garbage bag, as I only pay for what I use. The only potential downside in our area is that some curious creatures most likely will tear the bag open even before the pickup crew arrives. I had one similar incident in the past which was a little embarrassing and messy. I will give them a call to find out if they have this option. I will also try to find a dump site close by if I can.

Quote:

Originally Posted by grasshopper Of course this summer a bear would climb up in the bed and throw everything out on the drive.

Oh my! I guess that's why my compost bin lid has two hatches which must be opened simultaneously. Of course, it's probably no match to the powerful bear paws.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack We thought composting would be messy and take too much time, we've been very surprised. Stuff breaks down much faster than we thought, no smell at all and no cost whatsoever - just happy earthworms and much better soil in the garden! We have a small bucket by the kitchen-garage door to collect fruit & veggie waste, coffee grounds, egg shells, etc. and I add to compost once or twice a week, only takes minutes.

Yes, a properly maintained compost bin does not give any smell, and it produces the premium (earthly aromatic maybe?) dark fertilizer with so many red earth worms in it. The first time I used it for my radishes, they grew very large like on steroids! Last year, I dumped an old bottle of vitamin C, probably a couple hundred tablets, into my compost bin. The contents inside of bin shrank much faster afterwards. Go figure, no wonder v-c is hailed as having magic power. Maybe next year I will try some Mountain Dew to give it some extra kick.

[TromboneAl]

Although we pay by the bag, we put the bag in a conventional can with a "doggie-dare" on the top. I wrote "Blue bag," all over the outside, at which point they changed the color of the bags. This works fine, however.

[ratto]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl Although we pay by the bag, we put the bag in a conventional can with a "doggie-dare" on the top. I wrote "Blue bag," all over the outside, at which point they changed the color of the bags. This works fine, however.

Great tips. Thanks a bunch!

[Sue J]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl Although we pay by the bag, we put the bag in a conventional can with a "doggie-dare" on the top. I wrote "Blue bag," all over the outside, at which point they changed the color of the bags. This works fine, however.

Had to look that one up -
Doggy Dare

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sue J Had to look that one up - Doggy Dare

Thanks! I didn't know what it was, either. It looks very dog-proof.

Al, the dogs must be really mischievous in your neighborhood. I take the trash bag out of any container at all to carry it to the curb the night before pick-up, and never have had a dog damage one. Just one mischievous canine, though, and I'd be telling a different story.

[TromboneAl]

After I got it, I found that it was a bear that was making withdrawals. It was not effective against the bear. But when there are no bears, it works great.