call your gabage service-they only charge about $5 extras dollars around here-they just need to know you will have extra stuff. Don't let this stop you-keep going and good luck!

Maddiemom, congratulations! It's definitely a liberating feeling. Don't stop now, just be more creative. Maybe one of your neighbors never fills their bin? Or you could start filling small grocery bags and dropping them off at the gas station, grocery store, or whatever? (Maybe people will just think you have a very clean car now, LOL)

Maybe one of your neighbors never fills their bin?

Years ago when Paige/Momma Bird used to post w/ us here on the forum, she told of a night that she snuck around in the dark, after everyone had put their bins out, putting her extra trash in all the empty spaces in all her neighbors' bins.

It would make a great Saturday Night Live skit!

congrats, Maddiemom! That's really terrific!

Stash trash in my dumpster and I'm going to put a load of buckshot in your hind end.

Companies pay by weight to have that trash hauled off. Now, if you have let all of this trash build up in you homes, then pay to get it gone.

Not meaning to sound harsh, but I've paid for more dumpsters full of other people's garbage than I can to count.

Gloria

guiltglo, in Paige's suburban neighborhood (and in my mom & dad's), they had rolling Dumpster-style trash bins, and were allowed to fill it each week. There was no EXTRA charge to a homeowner if it was all the way full, or half empty.

That's DIFFERENT from a true Dumpster, where indeed the customer will be charged by the weight.

So Paige wasn't really doing anything truly heinous--just slightly embarrassing.

Dont worry Gloria, I will keep my hind end safe and sound. But I do know the agravation you speak of. Over the past year we have three industrial sized skips/roll-offs to take away construction debris.. we also paid by the pound.. and boy did we pay!!!.. anyway the last one was taken back about a month ago... I could see it from my bedroom window and TOTALLY freaked out to see a whole air conditioner in there one day.. and it was NOT ours. I knew that at 60 cents and pound that this HUGE things was going to cost a fortune to dump.. and I could not even fathom how someone got it in there without us hearing them!!.. anyway I was fretting waiting for the dump hauler to come..pick up and call me then with the weight/bill..ugh.. but he called to say he was not going to be able to pick up that day and would have to get it the next Monday.. no big deal.. well over the weekend some scrappers came by and asked if they could get any metal.. they were thrilled to get it since they get like 20cents a pound for the stuff.. well it took like 5 guys to get the dang thing out of the dumpster. We are getting another one soon and we are going to have it brought in behind our fence this time!!

Maddiemom

Wow, I guess we're lucky here; we have unlimited trash pickup every week, including furniture or whatever. Put it at the curb, separate yard waste and recyclables, and everything just magically disappears before I get home from work. "Good" stuff we always put out the night so it can be claimed by those who love collecting other people's junk.

(And so Gloria doesn't think me a bad person, even the gas stations put their trash out on the curb like everyone else, so in our area it doesn't matter where you stash your trash.)

Julie you are lucky... we have trash can Nazi's here... two cans... not over filled, not weighing more than a certain amount... and we still have to pay rental on the cans!!!!!. ugh

Maddiemom

You wouldn't really have much to worry about from me. I doubt if I could hit the broad side of a barn if my life depended upon it.

You ladies had me looking at everyone's trash tonight. We must have the same garbage Nazis as maddiemom. Only 3-30 gallon cans and if you put out a bag it can't weigh over 40 pounds.

Our businesses have special dumpsters. My DH use to own an office building and we would often have to have it dumped in the middle of the scheduled time because people would come through at night and fill it up.

My worst experience was in the house we currently live in, but recently remodeled. I paid for one of those big construction dumpsters and we really didn't have much problem except for the occassional dog walker thowing in their little bag of poop. I could live with that. Then the neighbor's house had a bunch of windows replaced and they ended up in our dumpster. I really think our contractor told the guy it was OK, but I started questioning it since it was the same guy who did OUR windows. Needless to say, he did pull some of it out, but not much. That one cost me a bunch, but I was really more angry that my contractor was willing to let me eat the cost of the stuff just because he was buddies with the window guy.

Gloria

When I have more than 2 garbage cans full, I put the excess in a large opaque lawn/leaf bag, put it in my car and either:1. drop it in the dumpster behind a local store or 2. Bring it to my job and throw it out there. I never got caught!

Yes -- we have sneaked up and down the back alleys looking for empty garbage cans !!! Out neighbourhood has back alleys instead of driveways -- and we must have everything INSIDE the big plastic can. WE can buy another can for $50 -- but so far this has worked!

We used to have garbage collection TWICE a week (sigh!) -- now it is once a week -- and boy! do they ever get snarky about the exact position of your garbage can at the end of your driveway!!! Sheesh!

Wow,

In my neighborhood, we pay by the can size, not weight -- 2 sizes available. My neighbors have openly said we could dump into their garbage. .... After a certain time on trash night. We have a family and 3 of our neighbors have grown kids. So, late on garbage night if our can is full, we go out and add to other cans.

No harm, no foul. Permission granted.

Our garbage haulers come by twice a week. No limit on how many cans, and theyll also take away bags. Problem is, they "sort out" stuff they don't want to take, like landscaping debris (tree branches), construction debris (bricks), and anything else they don't want (kids toys). They'll throw the stuff they don't want on the street in front of the offender's house. Embarassing! I will occasionally "sneak" something in a black plastic bag.

We are really lucky. Garbage musr be in plastic bags , not cans, and we can have an unlimited number of them. We have one recycling bin, but can request additional ones if needed. For large pick ups like furniture or appliances, we just need to make a special call and that pick up is on another day

We live on a corner lot with alley access. so we have cans on the street and another set on the alley. We have to sort into three categories landscaping debris, cans and bottles, and trash. We are really friendly with the trash guys, hand out cold bottles of water or cola on hot days, and give them cash if they picked up a really bulky load of stuff.
Garbage companies bid on the jobs and have a contract; if your guys are a pain--dumping out toys, etc. Complain to city Hall. Unless Tony Soprano is running the trash company you may be able to influence change.

Yep, Tony is definately running the service here. The city charter set up trash collection as a monopoly and you HAVE to have their trash pick-up, even if you don't use it, you pay the quarterly fee. Probably why we haven't gotten curbside recycling yet. No motivation to keep it out of the landfill.

Gloria

Make friends with your garbage service crew - trust me, it works! Talk to them when they come by, help them when you have more than usual. TIP them when you have something they aren't required to take. Our service is so limited when it comes to heavy trash. I was so tired of having to pay for a junk man to haul away big stuff or unacceptable stuff. Once my crew learned that I was good friends with their "favorite neighbor", I got more attention. Afterwards, I maintained that friendly relationship. Recently, I had a huge swimming pool heater at the curb one day. Was hoping someone would pick it up for recycling $$ but no one did. My service pulled up, waved to me and started to ATTEMPT to lift that heavy thing into the garbage truck. I was so excited, I tipped the 2 workers and the driver $10.00 each. Was cheaper and easier than a minimum junk man load. I didn't need to tip them though as I was now on the "favorite neighbor" status.

Another one of my neighbors made the "favorite neighbor status" by calling in a very favorable comment report about our crew. One of the garbage men told that neighbor that in the seven years of working there, NO ONE had ever given him a single positive comment - only negative. He was THRILLED. Luckily the company acknowledged him. That neighbor can put darn near anything he wants out and they will pick it up :)