Trash & recycling

[CommonCents]

Looking on the town website today, I realized they are expanding their Smart Trash program to more individuals.  Rather than $180 to drop off unlimited trash, we can pay $50 + $1 per 14 gal bag (bag provided), $2 per 33 gal bag (bag provided) with unlimited recycling.  So we just need to have less than 2.5 bags of trash each week, which I assure you, we most definitely do.  Score!  Just need to submit the application and hope they aren't filled up...  And this will give us extra impetus to make sure we're recycling all that we can.

[greenmimama]

I wish we had that option, our only choice is a 95gal cart, but we did drop down to every other week pick up and we are still rarely full unless it's a clean out the garage time (:

[Hedge_87]

We have the huge dumpster/trash can as well. It's supposed to be picked up weekly  however I only push it to the curb about once a month when it's full. Trash man caught me leaving the house one trash and asked why I don't put it out every week. When I replied with "its not full yet" he was dumbfounded. Our only recycling option is to haul it to the center a couple times a month.

[southern granny]

We pay a private company to pick up our recyclables once a week.  He comes on the same day as our regular trash pickup.  We pay $8 a month for the recycling service.  It is an unnecessary expense (as we are already paying for trash pickup), but I feel it is the right thing to do.  We do not have to separate anything, it just all goes into one bin.  He takes paper, plastic, glass, metal, batteries... even junk mail and political ads. 

[Bob W]

We have the huge dumpster/trash can as well. It's supposed to be picked up weekly  however I only push it to the curb about once a month when it's full. Trash man caught me leaving the house one trash and asked why I don't put it out every week. When I replied with "its not full yet" he was dumbfounded. Our only recycling option is to haul it to the center a couple times a month.

You might call your trash company and renegotiate the service.  It appears you are paying 4 times too much.   Our bill is $15 a month,  so you might get yours down to $4-8.   

I know it doesn't seem like a lot of money but if you can save $100 per year with a 10 minute phone call that you continue every year indefinitely that adds up.

Reducing your trash bill by $100 means you will need to have $3,000 less in your stache.

[Davin]

We have the huge dumpster/trash can as well. It's supposed to be picked up weekly  however I only push it to the curb about once a month when it's full. Trash man caught me leaving the house one trash and asked why I don't put it out every week. When I replied with "its not full yet" he was dumbfounded. Our only recycling option is to haul it to the center a couple times a month.

You might call your trash company and renegotiate the service.  It appears you are paying 4 times too much.   Our bill is $15 a month,  so you might get yours down to $4-8.   

I know it doesn't seem like a lot of money but if you can save $100 per year with a 10 minute phone call that you continue every year indefinitely that adds up.

Reducing your trash bill by $100 means you will need to have $3,000 less in your stache.

It never hurts to try, but rules vary from location to location. We have mandatory weekly garbage and recycling collection where we live. We selected the smallest size garbage container, but other than that we have no options.

[Jack]

It never hurts to try, but rules vary from location to location. We have mandatory weekly garbage and recycling collection where we live. We selected the smallest size garbage container, but other than that we have no options.

You're lucky. In my city, a 96-gallon bin with weekly pickup (for $42/month!!!!!!) is the only choice.

And it's billed as part of your taxes, so if you don't pay it the city can foreclose on your house.

On the bright side, at least they pick up recycling and yard waste too.

[I'm a red panda]

Our trash costs $124.80 for the year, for a 21-35 gallon can.
It is $62.40 per year for a 20 gallon can; but I've never seen one of those- is that like what Oscar the grouch is in? (Edit: I just looked up trash cans on amazon and wow they are expensive!)

We rarely fill up our trash can, so maybe I should investigate this mythical small trash can.

Or we can pay $1.20 per bag.  My husband and I considered that the $1.20 per bag MIGHT end up less expensive than the $124.80 per year; but we'd need to be careful about it, plus we would have to deal with cleaning up when the raccoons are out during the day and rip the bags apart (the bags cannot be in a can...)  I think trying to find the smaller can would make more sense.

Recycling is a mandatory $4.55 a month on the city bill.  Yard waste is $1.65 per bag, and we have never paid it as we mulch when we mow.  We don't have trees, but the city does two leaf pick ups that are 'free', you rake the leaves to the curb and they suck 'em up with a giant truck thingy.

Compost bags cost the same as yard waste bags. I don't understand this idea- I think the compost pick up should be free, as the idea is to divert it from the regular trash pick up. But I've already paid a flat fee for the stickers for my trash can, so why would I pay more to separate my trash?


The previous city I lived in used to charge $20 a month for trash pick up. Then they changed to city provided containers and it was $20 a month for a 65 gallon trash can, or you could opt to get a 35 gallon trash can for $16 a month. We picked the $4 a month savings.  I still don't understand how our neighbors, families of 2, could fill that 65 gallon can every week.

[Retired To Win]

In our case, unlimited curbside trash and recycling pickup costs $27 a month.  But you pay ZERO if you take the stuff to the dump station.

I can't even begin to get my head around the idea of having to fill out an application to be able to use the dump.  Not a very resident-friendly county you have!

[Hedge_87]

We have the huge dumpster/trash can as well. It's supposed to be picked up weekly  however I only push it to the curb about once a month when it's full. Trash man caught me leaving the house one trash and asked why I don't put it out every week. When I replied with "its not full yet" he was dumbfounded. Our only recycling option is to haul it to the center a couple times a month.

You might call your trash company and renegotiate the service.  It appears you are paying 4 times too much.   Our bill is $15 a month,  so you might get yours down to $4-8.   

I know it doesn't seem like a lot of money but if you can save $100 per year with a 10 minute phone call that you continue every year indefinitely that adds up.

Reducing your trash bill by $100 means you will need to have $3,000 less in your stache.

I wish this was the case where I lived. We pay $20 a month. I have asked a few times about different options but they don't have any. (Small town business that has a monopoly). I do have the option of hauling trash to the dump but their hours are not very good for me and it's 14 miles away.

[vern]

Our garbage bill is 16 dollars a year.  (We've got the dump run down to twice annually.)

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/garbage-arbitrage/msg144275/#msg144275

[Nudelkopf]

My town doesn't offer recycling, gah!!!!

[MrFrugalChicago]

Amazing how much this varies by location.

Chicago paid 180 a month split 8 ways for a twice weekly giant dumpster and once weekly 96 gallon cart recycling.


In Indiana pay 24 a month for 96 gallon weekly pickup and like $2 a month for every other week 96 gallon recycle pickup.

[Skipper]

Our recycling is free as long as I take it myself. The landlord takes care of our trash by letting us use his business dumpster. I just wish we had more space for recycling bins so I didn't have to make the run as often (or that my roommate would learn not to use 871 plastic containers a week...).