How does garbage collection work in your area?

[dawnhaze]

I live in an apartment building. We have cans for trash, plastic/metal/glass recycling, and paper/cardboard recycling outside the building. Trash pickup is twice weekly and recycling is once weekly. The building can be fined for not separating recycling and my building has actually gotten in trouble recently for it, so they've put signs up in the lobby to remind us.

 

[ceemys]

We have once a week pickup for trash, and a "company issued" 50 gallon(?) container and a store bought 20 gallon for overflow. We might have 1-2 bags of trash a week if that.

We have recycling pickup every other week, with the same size (50 gallon) container. We don't need to separate recycling. Paper, plastic, cardboard, no glass. We are usually overflowing by the time it's due for pickup.

Yard waste, what little we have, I just put in the trash can.

This.

Weekly for trash (we use one bag)
every other week for recycle (no sorting)
Yard stuff, just bag and put it in the regular trash can.

ETA: The price is about $50 for 3 months

 

[Kristibo42]

We have garbage picked up once a week. We pay a monthly fee of $17.95 and have to buy tag to put on the bags. They are 12 for $14.00. Recycling comes every other week.

 

[Auggietina]

We drive our trash to the dump. Our town does not have pick up service

 

[KennesawNemo]

We use a private company.

$18 for once a week pickup. 1 garbage can and up to 5 bags of yard debris. I tipped the guys when I first moved in and will do so on coming holidays. They'll pick up my extra garbage and yard bags if I have any, not sure if the tip matters.

$6 for recycling from the same company. Once every two weeks pickup. I am not happy with this as we have a lot to recycle. Sometimes I'll have to stuff my paper in regular garbages. This factor alone will make me research for other options when my contract is over with the current company.

 

[design_mom]

Our city has contracted with a trash vendor. We are required to use the city's vendor, but we are billed by the vendor (it's not part of the taxes). We are not required to recycle, but we are required to pay for recycling service (whether we use it or not), so most people do separate their recyclables.

We get curbside trash service each week. I don't think there's a limit to the amount you put out. We have a medium size trash can and we rarely fill it. You can call in advance if you have large items that don't fit in the trash can.

A separate truck comes for recyclables. They have to be put in a special container (provided) but they don't have to be separated.

Yard waste can be put out in brown paper lawn bags, or in a regular trash can that's clearly marked "yard waste". Branches can be bundled, etc. I honestly am not sure how it gets picked up (separate truck?). I've never actually seen it taken.

 

[robinb]

Here in Madison, WI garbage is collected once a week and recycling is collected every other week. We have 2 large cans, one for garbage and the other for recycling. We recycle about 50% of our trash and our garbage can is usually 1/2 full every week and our recycling is to the brim every other week. Yard waste and leaves are collected from the terrace in the spring and the fall.

My friend lives about 1 mile from me and her area is also testing food waste composting. We have a compost bin in our yard, but I am not in the habit of using it. We also have garbage collection facilities that take yard waste, recycling, large items, paint cans, dangerous liquids, etc.

I have no clue what this costs as it's part of my property taxes.

 

[Poohforyou]

We contract with a garbage company for once a week pickup. They take whatever we can fit in the can that isn't recycling or hazardous waste. recycling is done every other week by the county. We don't have to separate.

A few times a year our township has different days that things can be dropped off like electronics, paint, tires etc. Our township also offers curbside bulk pickup a few times a year for $25.

Lawn clippings are handled by our landscaping company. They do our entire development.

 

[msjprincess]

Twice a week pick up for regular garbage. One of those days is also for bulk pick up. One day a week for recycling. It alternates every week between paper and bottles/cans. We can throw out 6 bags of leaves except for the end of Oct-Dec when it is unlimited. We have special Christmas tree pickup the first few weeks of January.

More or less, we can throw out as much as we want and whatever we want. Except for grass clippings.

 

[Wendy31]

We live outside of the city limits, so we have a private company that comes & picks up our trash once a week.

(If we were inside the city limits, our taxes would pay for garbage pick-up.)

We have an industrial-sized trash container that probably holds 5-7 bags. Additionally, if we have some bags that don't fit in the container, we can occasionally put extra bags beside the container to be picked up - but not every week. It's an "occasional" thing.

We do not have recycling services unfortunately that come through our neighborhood, but we do have a recycling center nearby where we can drive our recycling items.

 

[Aladora]

I'm in Victoria, BC and we have bi-weekly trash and bi-weekly recycling pick up. (one week for us is trash on Monday and the next week is recycling on Thursday.) We don't have a can or bag limit on either trash or recycling but we do have to separate paper from everything else.

 

[DVC-Don]

In New York we pay a private company $40 a month for weekly trash and recycle pick up. In Florida the county does the pick up and its rolled into our taxes.

 

[mjkacmom]

It's good - we get garbage twice a week (once a week you can put in big items, like furniture, appliances, etc.). No limit. Recycling is once a week, no need to separate, no limit. Sticks and branches need to be bundled, and leaves need to be put in biodegradable bags. Christmas trees just go out to the curb.

This is all free (although it comes out of my 5 figure property tax bill).

 

[minnie mum]

We live in a fairly small town in Ontario. We have weekly trash and recycle pick up. Paper, plastic and glass goes into a blue bin. We pay $2.75 per bag of regular trash (tags must be attached to each bag). We average one bag every 2 weeks for the 2 of us. The recycle box goes out every week.

Non-meat food waste and lawn/garden waste goes into our compost bins behind the garden shed. Other folks put their garden waste into yard bags and put them at the curb for pickup. We get a yearly voucher for a free single large item pickup. There is a nearby station for hazardous waste, large volume compostables, and bulk trash and recyclables. Also where we live, any electric appliances and electronics must go to the hazardous waste site, not into the trash.

The town near us is instituting a new policy requiring regular trash to be placed in clear bags. Trash that is seen to contain recyclables will not be picked up. Needless to say, this is causing a bit of controversy.

 

[Angelhalo]

We have trash pickups on Tuesday and Thursday. You can put out as much trash as you want. We usually put out one big can, sometimes 2.

Wednesdays are recycling pickup. A blue bin is assigned to your house for glass, plastic, and cardboard. Nothings has to be separated.

If you want a bulk pickup for furniture etc, you can call and schedule one.

There are no designated yard trash days. You just add it in with your regular trash.

 

[joviroxx]

We pay the city along with our water bill. The city contracts out. We are given a choice of 35, 65 OR 120 container and a blue 50 lb recycling container.

Trash is picked up twice a week, recycling once a week. We just bag up the yard stuff and put in in the trash bin. Recycling does not have to be sorted , just thrown in the big container.

We also have bulk pickup twice a month. Furniture, appliances, large items, etc.

I want to say we pay about $18 a month

 

[bcla]

I live in an area with a small independent company that only services this area. It's pretty cheap considering.

We pay for one 32 gallon trash container each week, and the resident has to provide it; ours is a cheap 32 gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck can. You can pay for more or for larger containers. The trash is manually lifted, so a standardized container isn't needed. There's unlimited co-mingled recycling, and some people leave it in trash cans, assorted reusable containers, 5 gallon pails, or even straight up in paper grocery bags.

Twice a month we get unlimited green-waste pickup. In my neighborhood we'll see it in trash cans (often green or at least labelled as green waste), but we're also allowed to place them on tarps (to make it easier to load into the truck) or in up to 32 gallon paper waste bags. The bags have to be paper because they might be tossed. It also varies whether they take the bags or leave them behind for reuse.

I've lived in a city where we paid for a municipal program. I don't recall who was contacted for the service. They might have been city employees and not a contractor.

In two neighboring cities, Waste Management is contracted and we see prominent WM trucks - sometimes two or three working the same neighborhood simultaneously. They only seem to use wheels containers designed for the equipment to pick up and drop into the trucks.

Now if you want something fun, try places where there are bears. Some areas require trash to be stored in bear resistant containers. This includes urban places like Duarte, California in Los Angeles County. They're in the foothills with bears coming in from Angeles National Forest. Up in the Sierra Nevada there are places where trash must be stored in approved trash enclosures. These are similar to the bear boxes you'll find in some public lands like national parks or national forests.

 

[Meriweather]

Ours is run by the city..........they provide the big cans........one for recycle and one for everything else.
Once a week pick-up for each.............they hold a lot!
They will also pick up bigger items (like furniture, etc.). You just need to call ahead.
We pay it in a fee to the city along with sewer and water.

 

[I loveStitchnippyjon]

We pay $65 quarterly to a private company. They pick up garbage (I don't think there's a limit...we have a big rolling tote but only use about half of it) weekly, as well as mixed recyclables in another can. We have also put out small appliances and electronics, and they take them too.

 

[scrapquitler]

Just curious as how other places deal with this. I live in Ontario Canada and currently (in my municipality) we have once a week pick up for organic waste (mostly food) and recycling (one bin for paper, another for glass and plastics). We have bi-weekly pick up for yard waste (in the summer months only) and regular garbage. You are limited to one garbage bag every two weeks, however for $5 you can buy a "tag" to stick to another bag if you need to.

As a family of 5 we have never needed to put out more than one bag every two weeks. It really is surprising how much can be recycled and thrown in the organic waste bin. We don't have any kids in diapers though. For people who do they may need to but additional "tags" or cloth diaper. I couldn't imagine having dirty diapers sitting around for up to two weeks, that alone might encourage me to cloth diaper. All I know is that when you only get to put out one bag every two weeks you make sure you NEVER miss that garbage truck, especially in the summer!

Trash pickup is not a service provided by my town. Each household has to contract with a local hauler (of their choice, there are at least 6 of them) to deal with it. Our trash hauler charges $24 per month, and they bill us quarterly. The hauler than I use comes weekly and picks up both regular trash and recycling weekly. Other companies only do recycling every two weeks. Bulk Pickup can be arranged with the hauler if you wish. The town collects leaves and yard waste 2X per year.

If you don't want to pay a private company, you can take your stuff to the transfer station yourself. They charge $2.35 per trash bag, bulky items are at a set price or you can do bulk disposal by the pound (I don't remember the price). Seniors can take their trash to the transfer station for free if they buy an annual permit (it's like $10 I think). The town has a recycling center that is open 3 days per week and they also take electronics items, and there is a section where you can bring your yard waste and leaves, and they compost them and make mulch that you can buy really inexpensively.