PREP Suburban Trash Services - Debacle on the Horizon

[Kris Gandillon]

If you are rural and don’t rely on weekly trash hauling services like those of us who live suburban or urban, then you don’t need to waste your time on this thread. You already have your situation covered.

A trend I have been noticing for close to 10 years now is the devolution of the number and reliability of commercial trash hauling services.

The two areas we have lived in over the last 30 years have burned thru all but one of the remaining large commercial services.

The previous one chose not to renew or rebid on the contract.

The one starting in August was the only bidder. Prices are going up and services are going down.

All of the companies have struggled with worker shortages for at least 10 years. They miss occasional pickup days due to lack of truck crews.

My concern is that when the new hauler gets thru the 4 year contract, will they even want to renew or rebid?

If not, and if none of the others bid, our suburban area is going to turn into a trash filled ghetto within a couple of weeks.

Are any of you other suburbanites experiencing the same issues with your trash hauling services or is it unique to my area?

Like anything else, if we’re willing (or forced) to pay “enough” someone will be willing to fill the need. Concerned with what “enough” may be cost-wise. Would not surprise me that it could end up between $50-$100 a week at that point.

 

[mikeabn]

Possibly not helpful, but is there any chance of forming some sort of co-op with neighbors?

 

[phloydius]

There are currently three companies that service our area (down from several more over the last few years).

I noticed about a year ago that two of the companies were using the same trucks (but on different days). Now the same trucks come out for all three companies on 3 different days. Best I can tell is that two of the companies contracts our area out to the third (and most expensive) company.

 

[raven]

Just fill a Wal-Mart bag every morning and drop in the trash bin as you leave the McDonalds drive-thru window.
On Friday, take an extra bag in to work.

 

[Jeff B.]

When I was a kid on Long Island, there were competing trash haulers. By the time I’d become a teenager, there were only a couple. It seemed that the contracts were doled out and since it became known that the trash business was mob controlled, no new firms popped up.

For long, anyhow.

 

[raven]

Burn Barrel, Tractor Supply $300.
You can get a used steel barrel for $10

Build a worm farm for table waste.
Dogs get the meat scraps.
Recycle egg cartons with the egg lady (Forget her name)

Load up the truck once a week and head to the dump. Offer the neighbors $5 a can to take theirs with ya.

 

[Meemur]

When I first moved here, residents contracted with one of five companies for trash service.
Then my city stepped in and decreed that they were taking over the trash and would negotiate with one
company.

I'm not sure about the legal aspects of all that. I never followed up because my trash bill dropped from $18 to $9, and I got a larger can. The service has remained the same: mostly good. About once or twice a year, usually in the winter, there will be a missed day or a delay, usually weather-related.

Added: I would burn my trash if I could! I live on the wrong side of the no-burn line. I suppose I could walk down the road and burn my trash elsewhere! LOL.

 

[Kris Gandillon]

Possibly not helpful, but is there any chance of forming some sort of co-op with neighbors?

Exactly what I proposed earlier today.

It was a bit “tongue-in-cheek” to the ones who were stomping their feet and shaking their fist at the new contract stipulations from the one and only bidder and the one remaining hauler we haven’t fired or that hasn’t quit on us.

We have 12,700 individual residences. I proposed pooling our resources and buying a fleet of $300,000 trash trucks. Forming our own community trash hauling services. To avoid employees and lack of workers, at least one person from each residence would volunteer or be drafted and trained to “ride the truck” periodically. Etc, etc.

 

[Hawkgirl_70]

Just fill a Wal-Mart bag every morning and drop in the trash bin as you leave the McDonalds drive-thru window.
On Friday, take an extra bag in to work.

You know, i think I’ve seen people do this at our McDonald’s drive-thru can as well as the outside cans at our Walmart.

 

[Kris Gandillon]

Burn Barrel, Tractor Supply $300.
You can get a used steel barrel for $10

Build a worm farm for table waste.
Dogs get the meat scraps.
Recycle egg cartons with the egg lady (Forget her name)

Load up the truck once a week and head to the dump. Offer the neighbors $5 a can to take theirs with ya.

Like I said, rural folks need not comment because your solutions typically do not work in a suburban/urban situation.

Burning is not allowed in the city limits. Most of us do not have trucks. I had one and due to the arthritis could no longer climb into it.

The challenge is suburban folks are going to have a big wake-up call. Most of them (us) grew up with every service imaginable available at a usually reasonable price.

Suburbanites expect such reasonably priced services to always be available.

They don’t want to do ANY of this themselves and in most cases do not have the skills or experience to do it themselves. Or they are elderly or disabled (like us) and simply cannot do it themselves.

Now with utility prices going up, grocery prices, property taxes and now trash hauling, the squeeze is definitely on for those without reasonable alternatives.

 

[raven]

Well city can pass all the laws they want about not burning in city limits
but
if they do not provide trash service the law becomes void

 

[Meemur]

We have 12,700 individual residences. I proposed pooling our resources and buying a fleet of $300,000 trash trucks. Forming our own community trash hauling services. To avoid employees and lack of workers, at least one person from each residence would volunteer or be drafted and trained to “ride the truck” periodically. Etc, etc.

As long as I don't have to lift full trash cans, I'd get trained and drive a route several days a month.
Back when I lived really rural, I helped with dump runs and plowing. It's not bad as long as it's not a daily gig.

 

[WalknTrot]

City/town/township will have to take it over. Charge homeowners like they do water and utilities.

 

[Sherrynboo]

We have the county prisoners manning the garbage trucks in my area. In the larger city nearby they use prisoners as well. I guess I thought that was just routine everywhere.

 

[Kris Gandillon]

When I first moved here, residents contracted with one of five companies for trash service.
Then my city stepped in and decreed that they were taking over the trash and would negotiate with one
company.

I'm not sure about the legal aspects of all that. I never followed up because my trash bill dropped from $18 to $9, and I got a larger can.

Pretty much describes our journey over the last 30 years as well. Been mandated that the city would select a trash hauler that all residents would use.

Because they had a monopoly but a larger volume of customers our prices initially went down as well but as we burned through all of the haulers every 3-5 years there became less and less competition in the bidding so we now find ourselves beholden to the last company even willing to do the work at any price.

The next contract renewal/bidding process will be interesting.

Is your $9 charge per week or per month?

 

[raven]

You know, i think I’ve seen people do this at our McDonald’s drive-thru can as well as the outside cans at our Walmart.

What was I driving?

 

[Knoxville's Joker]

Well I am in the outskirts. I contract out to one company and they keep creeping up the rates and it is getting to a point does 40 dollars a month justify a once weekly trip to the dump that is 2 miles away? I am cleaning up the property so when I am in cleanup mode I literally am doing a weekly trip to the dump anyways.

Most other countries without central dumps burn their trash. And trash is literally littered in the country side as a result. And those same countries are the reason why the ocean is polluted along with their water ways.

The central dump model is the only thing that will allow mega cities to function.

As as a side note the invention of the dumpster traces back to Demsey Dumpster of Knoxville Tennessee...

 

[Meemur]

@Kris -- that's per month (that's for one 96 gallon wheeled bin -- it would be higher if I had multiple bins and most families do). And, yes, I expect it'll go up at some point, but they can't gouge us too much because the dump is down the road.

I fully expect that someone is getting kickbacks and after the next election, we might start having your problems.
I don't know. Least of my worries right now: I have a compost pile and have been trying hard to eliminate the amount of packaging that comes into my house in the first place. It's easier in the summer because I shop at the farmers market a lot and eat salads. (I use cloth bags and/or baskets for hauling the fruits and veggies)

 

[mecoastie]

You have 4 years to figure it out. Worst case have a plan to burn or where you are going to dump it outside of town

 

[raven]

don't worry . . . diversity will save us

 

[Publius]

Most county's ban trash burning even in rural areas, here where I live they ban trash burning but allow the burn off of large brush and tree piles and do have burn ban in effect when there has been a lack of rain in the area.

 

[Milkweed Host]

I view the current Waste Management system as a joke.
Everything from my area is placed into their containers is hauled to the state IL and buried.
Let a future generation worry about it.

(I currently live in the country with neighbors about 1/4 mile away, so I burn what I can)

Some people recycle but most don't care.

More emphasis should be placed on recycling or the trash needs to be destroyed near
it's location.

When I lived in MN and used Waste Management, we recycled, then all of our trash
was sent to a clean burning incinerator at Trempealeau WI that generated electricity.

It's a mistake to continue hauling trash/garbage to another location and burying it,
leaving it for another generation to deal with.

IMO trash should be destroyed, one way or another.
Of course recycling is best whenever possible.

For one thing, I dislike those plastic bags given out by stores.
I'm planning on checking with some of the local stores and ascertain
if I can bring in several of those orange Home Depot five gal buckets
in order to avoid the plastic bags.

anyway, the concept of hauling trash to some one else's community for
disposal/burial won't last forever.

 

[kyrsyan]

About a year and a half ago, the town here had to change services because the prior one shut down. Issues with maintenance of trucks and keeping workers. The new provider is more expensive.

About 4 months ago, the entire county except our town and the big one was put on a county wide service, run by the county. Yhis left that service provider with aboit 6 square blocks in the middle of nowhere to service. I figure the next time the contract comes up for renewal, we'll end up as part of the county service.

But we can also choose to take our own, not that many people know that. And it is in no way convenient here. But I have lived in places where we had to before. When you haul it yourself, you get very practical about recycling and composting. Or I did.

 

[zeker]

Exactly what I proposed earlier today.

It was a bit “tongue-in-cheek” to the ones who were stomping their feet and shaking their fist at the new contract stipulations from the one and only bidder and the one remaining hauler we haven’t fired or that hasn’t quit on us.

We have 12,700 individual residences. I proposed pooling our resources and buying a fleet of $300,000 trash trucks. Forming our own community trash hauling services. To avoid employees and lack of workers, at least one person from each residence would volunteer or be drafted and trained to “ride the truck” periodically. Etc, etc.

had a buddy who had a small truck ..(2ton)

he took over a fledgeling trash contract for a few commercial customers in our small town.

within a yr he had a full size garbage truck

and more contracts than he could service

within 3 yrs he had the town contract

I havent lived there in 15 yrs,

but i bet he also has the dump contract and cpl more trucks.

 

[zeker]

I view the current Waste Management system as a joke.
Everything from my area is placed into their containers is hauled to the state IL and buried.
Let a future generation worry about it.

(I currently live in the country with neighbors about 1/4 mile away, so I burn what I can)

Some people recycle but most don't care.

More emphasis should be placed on recycling or the trash needs to be destroyed near
it's location.

When I lived in MN and used Waste Management, we recycled, then all of our trash
was sent to a clean burning incinerator at Trempealeau WI that generated electricity.

It's a mistake to continue hauling trash/garbage to another location and burying it,
leaving it for another generation to deal with.

IMO trash should be destroyed, one way or another.
Of course recycling is best whenever possible.

For one thing, I dislike those plastic bags given out by stores.
I'm planning on checking with some of the local stores and ascertain
if I can bring in several of those orange Home Depot five gal buckets
in order to avoid the plastic bags.

anyway, the concept of hauling trash to some one else's community for
disposal/burial won't last forever.

I beleive toronto hauls its trash across the border to Michigan

I also heard of sending it to old mineshafts

as for hauling to the dump.

there are fees

and then.. additional fees.

ie.. $200 to dispose of a mattress.

but they will take the mattress if you remove the padding and have the metal separate.

burn bans all summer cuz fire season

 

[Kris Gandillon]

We have the county prisoners manning the garbage trucks in my area. In the larger city nearby they use prisoners as well. I guess I thought that was just routine everywhere.

No, it’s not.

Here is a recent quote on this subject when it came up as a discussion point in Missouri:

“We have talked to the Department of Corrections, they do not want to use actual inmates. Their response is, ‘Our job is to keep people IN prison, not supervise them OUTSIDE of prison.”

Of course, circumstances such as I am describing could change that attitude.

 

[Meemur]

For one thing, I dislike those plastic bags given out by stores.
I'm planning on checking with some of the local stores and ascertain
if I can bring in several of those orange Home Depot five gal buckets
in order to avoid the plastic bags.

canvas shopping bags -- toss in the washer periodically and dry on the clothesline

 

[Hawkgirl_70]

I have a question?
I live in the city of a rural town.

You guys that have burn barrels…. What do you do with the remains of stuff that doesn’t burn up in the barrel? Like, of the 100% of trash you put in the barrel, does 100% burn up? I would assume not.
Educate me.

 

[raven]

for $500 you can get a 40yard roll off and everyone in the neighborhood can bring their garbage for $10 a week
and once you get 50 contributions, have em haul it off and bring another.

 

[Sherrynboo]

They use the "trustees" for garbage detail and those guys like it cause quite a few people will give them cigarettes and cold drinks. They are also used for weeding the roadsides and other things. Gives them a chance to get outside.

 

[raven]

I have a question?
I live in the city of a rural town.

You guys that have burn barrels…. What do you do with the remains of stuff that doesn’t burn up in the barrel? Like, of the 100% of trash you put in the barrel, does 100% burn up? I would assume not.
Educate me.

We are doooomed!!!!

Get yourself a Wal-Mart bag if you must and go out to dinner at McDonalds

 

[Milkweed Host]

Most county's ban trash burning even in rural areas, here where I live they ban trash burning but allow the burn off of large brush and tree piles and do have burn ban in effect when there has been a lack of rain in the area.

That's true.

However, many people in the county continue to burn trash mixed to tree branches and call
it a camp fire. They are careful with wind direction, size of the flames and so on.
Watching out for burning bans.

An incinerator with screen on the top is legal where I'm at.

 

[Delta]

1) (Space) When I was younger and very much into remodeling and relandscaping I was a regular at our dump. Over the years I have watched it fill, and I wonder how long until our community has to haul our trash much farther into the desert (a number of surrounding communities haul their trash here now).

2) (Employees) Can a city, county, town offer citizenship in exchange for work performed?

 

[Kris Gandillon]

You have 4 years to figure it out. Worst case have a plan to burn or where you are going to dump it outside of town

May have 4 years or not.

Previous haulers have terminated the contract early or the city has fired the hauler for breach of contract. It has been a merry-go-round for years but it has turned into musical chairs with us being down to the last hauler in the area.

Probably will force the city to tolerate this hauler a little more leniently because they have no other options to turn to.

 

[raven]

There ain't gonna be nothing to buy - you ain't gonna have no garbage.

you will own nothing and be happy . . . and garbage free

 

[Dozdoats]

Wrong thread

 

[Sooth]

One of the biggest advances in healthy living over centuries has been trash collection and sewers. Trash build up begets rats and other vermin and disease. Most in the urban areas especially have little to no understanding of that concept. The “cost” of trash collection should consider the impacts of not collecting it. Cost for once a week collection where I am now is $50 every 3 months. Well worth it.

As a kid in Nebraska in the late 40’s and early 50’s we made a weekly run to the dump. That was a stinking, smoldering mess infested with rats which made good target practice with the 22.

There used to be power generation/trash burning facilities in Memphis and a couple other places. I do not know if they still do that. There also used to be a great deal more recycling done but apparently that effort no longer has a great economic return.

 

[Papacub]

for $500 you can get a 40yard roll off and everyone in the neighborhood can bring their garbage for $10 a week
and once you get 50 contributions, have em haul it off and bring another.

Not in my area, a 40 yd roll-off is about $700. I just last year got a 30 yd rolloff from a friend of a friend for $400, every where I checked wanted $500 for the 30 yd.

 

[Knoxville's Joker]

One of the biggest advances in healthy living over centuries has been trash collection and sewers. Trash build up begets rats and other vermin and disease. Most in the urban areas especially have little to no understanding of that concept. The “cost” of trash collection should consider the impacts of not collecting it. Cost for once a week collection where I am now is $50 every 3 months. Well worth it.

As a kid in Nebraska in the late 40’s and early 50’s we made a weekly run to the dump. That was a stinking, smoldering mess infested with rats which made good target practice with the 22.

There used to be power generation/trash burning facilities in Memphis and a couple other places. I do not know if they still do that. There also used to be a great deal more recycling done but apparently that effort no longer has a great economic return.

EPA killed the incinerators. They will be coming back as we start running out of space. And I suspect that we will start having outfits looking at the full dumps to salvage and delve to find scrap...

 

[SciFi Lover]

Kris, around 2 decades ago our township and the one next door got together and put a vote to the people for a Township wide trash pickup. The votes passed and they went out and contracted for service with a believe 4 year contract periods. The period had negotiated increases per year of the contract. The package includes recycling, trash, composting and large item pickup. Right now it is around $160 a year. I have a Friday pickup and they have missed twice this year, a first for us - - funny they actually came by on Saturday to pick up their missed service. That surprised me. The current contract holder is GFL. So if you have a problem, I would propose a Township vote to contract in this fashion. So far up here it is working.