Trash & Recycle

Trash and recycle material is picked up by Parks and Sons.
Pickup days for trash is twice a week. Recycle is picked up twice a month.

You are advised to put the word SAVE on your container.

Payment is included in my monthly condo fee.

You can arrange to have large items picked up for a small charge.

 

What does it mean, the word SAVE? Are you saying don't throw out my container?

 

I've found that it is difficult to get them to take a container....if you put out a cardboard box full of other cardboard and newspapers....they will leave the cardboard box behind, we have taken to flattening all the cardboard and just tying it in a bundle to get rid of all of it. They have never taken the plastic container we use for all the miscellaneous stuff, it has nothing written on it.

 

I clicked on the link to Park and Sons. They offer an interesting service to some retirement communities. Apparently people bury a 30 gallon trash container in the ground near the curb. Then guys pick up the bag from the container so seniors do not need to push the trash containers back and forth. Have you heard of this?

 

That's how it's done in Sun City, AZ....ours is buried by the driveway. But that is for trash, recycling is handled differently and on a different day. I have always been amazed that we get twice a week trash pickup for a very, very reasonable price. And what doesn't fit in the buried barrel goes in a bag or trash container next to it. I have yet to be charged extra for putting out too much stuff by the trash bin.

 

that's pretty cool. so do you add to it all week or just take it out on trash day? wouldn't the coyotes get into the trash?

 

I don't think the coyotes could pick up the lid. At this time of year the handle is very HOT.

You can put your trash out every day. I put mine in barrel the day before pickup.
I ain't got much trash!

If I forget to put out recycle stuff a neighbor usually reminds me.

 

If you have a lot of branches or other material, it is suggested that they be wrapped for easier handling.
I have also seen bags beside barrel. Usually that is when Snowbirds are leaving.

 

The foot pedal helps to avoid the hot handle, but for bigger loads, I do have to lift the entire top rather than just the inner lid with the foot pedal. I too, don't really have that much trash esp. since they started recycling all plastics with nos. 1-7 and the little triangle on them, glass, and metal. I do recall that when I first moved in and emptied lots of cartons, there was a one time charge of $15 I think and that was supposed to cover that excessive load and any cartons thereafter.

 

They put the schedule in with the annual bill and I just sit down with my calendar and circle all the recycling days so I don't forget. Once in awhile the schedule changes just enough to throw me off. It also depends which phase you live in. Phase 2 now has recycling on the second and third Weds., but in Dec. it will be on the 26th, a Thursday, bec. of Christmas. The part that threw me off until I started writing it on the calendar was that I usually don't think about which week of the month I am in, but remember that I didn't put it out last week and assume I will need to put it out this week. Usually that's the case, but sometimes there are three weeks between pick-ups. For ex., July 24 is a pick-up, but after that, Aug. 14 is next since Aug. doesn't have a Wed. in its first week. Same thing for Oct. 23 pick-up with the next one being Nov. 13 since Nov.'s first week also doesn't have a Wed. I'm glad that only happens a couple times a year since an extra week of recyclables does add up.

 

I'll have to try the foot pedal. It would save bending over.

 

It works well for smaller bags, but otherwise, I'm afraid you have to lift the whole top as you have been doing....Seems a number of the foot pedals don't work as they should either since they have been the victims of being run over.

 

I read some conversation about wanting to have recycling pickup once a week and garbage once a week. That would suit me great, as I always have so much overflow of reclycling material by pick up day. It makes me sad when I walk on garbage pickup day and see so much recyclable material in the garbage. I've been recycling for over twenty years. It is so much easier now than when we had to sort our material.

 

Last month I forgot to put out recycle material.
No problem. I just had more the next time.

 

To whom should I complain because I do not have a foot pedal?

 

I will be contacting my Condo Association.
From what I have observed Garbage could be once a week.
And recycle once a month

gilmark. What the heck are you recycling? Are there items you could donate ?

quote from you

" I always have so much overflow of reclycling material by pick up day."

 

This is to gilmark.

I would like to take away your sadness.

Why don't you take a BIG bag and walk around your neigborhood and pick up the recycle stuff.

You will be doing good for the environment and perhaps get some excercise.

 

Recycle Container:

I put the word "Save" on the container.

I also put "Do not take" in Spanish -"No Tome"

 

I have a 30-gallon trash can that gets everything in it -- newspapers, plastics, glass bottles, cardboard. I rarely fill a garbage can once a week. And, nice thought about getting a big bag out and gathering other people's trash. I'll think about that until the thought goes away.

 

Yes, guess it would be the condo ass. to discuss foot pedal models the next time they need to replace the trash containers, so until then you'll be able to get credit for extra exercise in the knee-bend category, but keep an oven mitt or potholder handy so you don't burn your hands since as you said, metal in the sun sure does get hot.
Re: seeing lotsa things tossed that could be recycled makes me sad too gilmark since it adds to environmental problems as well as jacking up everyone's garbage costs. Garbage doesn't magically disappear, but around here is usually hauled off to a landfill and those cost lots of money to buy and maintain. The faster they fill up, the more good land has to be bought up for more space; plus, stuff in a landfill will still sit there for years and years and while organics will eventually compost--if the correct proportion of air and moisture is present--glass and plastics and aluminum will stay for eons. Key is to keep stuff out of the garbage in the first place, so more education is needed to change from the "throw away mentality."