Are you a SERIOUS recycler?

[300UGUY]

If Livingston County has a lot of grumpy old folks maybe I better move there as I will fit right in....

LOL!! You have a state pension. Youre one of the "evil ones!!!"

 

[hardtack]

We were moderate recyclers until we move to the country. Since the county I live doesn't have curb side pickup of trash you have to hire a private company. Of course there are limits to the number of bags and times of pickups and extra charges for large items. Basic service was $25.00 month 8 years ago. Also, there was the clean-up up after woodland critters got into the trash by the curb. Ops, sorry, no more curbs, just roadside and ditches here now.

But, the county had a drive through recycling center drop center in the county seat. They took just about everything. Every 3-months or so they held Special drop-offs for Appliances, electronics and large items for a modest fee, plus a biannual shred day. We just save our recyclables in sorted bins, load them in the truck, and take them into town when its convenient. They even unload the bins and put them back.

Since then we dropped our trash pickup and we just take less then a bag a week to a nearby country store that only charges $2.00 a bag in their dumpster.

It's been a win-win for us. The only out of pocket cost was setting up recycling bins in a corner of the garage. But it more than paid for itself by dropping the service.

 

[aczlan]

Still working on what to do with our recyclables. Got a 2 yard dumpster for trash at $43/month with bi-weekly pickup (same price as weekly trashcan pickup and I can load it with the bucket if needed).
Food stuff, we save for the horses, goats or chickens.
Right now, plastic and such goes to my sister in laws place (they have recycle pickup).
Metal gets saved and taken for scrap.

Aaron Z

 

[dmccarty]

I can't believe some of you have to pay per bag. We get charged a flat fee on our property taxes for dumping. That is it. Seems like if you charged per bag/load it would lead to more dumping along the roads.

Our county did have to start sending out windshield stickers to property owners a few years back. People were driving in from other county's and using the transfer stations which was increasing costs. I have no idea how they figured this out but the number of visits dropped when the stickers use kicked in.

The transfer stations take almost everything including used motor oil. A few times a year they collect batteries, old pesticides, paints, chemicals, old gas/fuel etc. No cost. Just show up. Fill out a form which shows you are a citizen of the county. I think they use the form to also count the number of people using the service. I have never seen them turn any one away because of resident issues and I hope they do not. Rather that the stuff was properly disposed of instead of dumped along the road.

I only know of one person in our neighborhood who uses a garbage collection service.

The garbage service provided by the city we used to live in was horrible. Those twits would leave trash on the ground almost every week. We had no choice but to pay the bill and take the "service." Really ticked me off picking up their trash. It was not our trash since we always bagged so the trash I had to pick up was from other houses that the garbage man, excuse me, sanitation engineers, dropped on the ground. Not to mention the time I was home and the idiot was banging on the garage door to get my dog all worked up. He did not do that again.

Later,
Dan

 

[JDgreen227]

LOL!! You have a state pension. Youre one of the "evil ones!!!"

Yeah and if you guys think I was a grump before Slick Rick the Prig began taxing my pension....:laughing: you didn't see NOTHING back then...:laughing:

 

[LBrown59]

I cant believe there are places that DONT have mandatory trash pickup paid out of taxes.

I Don't like Anything mandatory trash pickup or car insurance.
Too many flaws with it and to much unfairness comes from it.

Whenever laws are passed it's always one size fits all , which always turns out that nothing fits anybody

 

[Scooby074]

I Don't like Anything mandatory trash pickup or car insurance.
Too many flaws with it and to much unfairness comes from it.

Whenever laws are passed it's always one size fits all , which always turns out that nothing fits anybody

how much unfairness can there be in trash pickup?

A contract is awarded in a bid process, usually to a major player (WM has it now although small local guys have had it in the past). Everyone in the county has the right to use it.

Isnt that the definition of fair? Open contract with access by all?

The restrictions are there to save landfill space, which saves the cost of a new landfill, and to help "save" the environment. Even though i personally found the rules restrictive at first, the rules apply county wide to all residents.. Again that's what id call "fair".

If you put the onus for pickup on the citizens many will just choose not to pay. That means burning or burying out back .. or just dumping it down the road, in your neighbors woods. Sure, some will take the responsibility seriously, like the posters in this thread, but if times are tight, where is the money going to go... the kids' braces or garbage pickup? When built into taxes you have no ability to "opt out" which means you'll use the pubic service since it's already paid for rather than coming up with your own "free" solution.

Without derailing the thread, how can you even try and argue that mandatory insurance laws are unfair?

Can you imagine driving if insurance was optional? Its bad enough now with the odd dirt bag getting in accidents without insurance... Who is going to pay to fix my car (or me)?

 

[300UGUY]

how much unfairness can there be in trash pickup?

A contract is awarded in a bid process, usually to a major player (WM has it now although small local guys have had it in the past). Everyone in the county has the right to use it.

Isnt that the definition of fair? Open contract with access by all?

The restrictions are there to save landfill space, which saves the cost of a new landfill, and to help "save" the environment. Even though i personally found the rules restrictive at first, the rules apply county wide to all residents.. Again that's what id call "fair".

If you put the onus for pickup on the citizens many will just choose not to pay. That means burning or burying out back .. or just dumping it down the road, in your neighbors woods. Sure, some will take the responsibility seriously, like the posters in this thread, but if times are tight, where is the money going to go... the kids' braces or garbage pickup? When built into taxes you have no ability to "opt out" which means you'll use the pubic service since it's already paid for rather than coming up with your own "free" solution.

Without derailing the thread, how can you even try and argue that mandatory insurance laws are unfair?

Can you imagine driving if insurance was optional? Its bad enough now with the odd dirt bag getting in accidents without insurance... Who is going to pay to fix my car (or me)?

That's exactly what I am getting at. Lots of folks just are gonna free ride on everybody else. I'd at least like to have collection stations, but the locals here won't ever do that. I've lived here a long time, and I am getting pretty cynical about some of the locals. One guy I know operates a cash only business. He told me one day that he'd got on SSI - disability. I told him he didn't look too disabled to me - he got real defensive, and started one of his anti government rants !!!

 

[300UGUY]

Yeah and if you guys think I was a grump before Slick Rick the Prig began taxing my pension....:laughing: you didn't see NOTHING back then...:laughing:

Lots of "Pension Envy" out there. A lot of folks voted for him, I don't think he's gonna get win the next election. Probably don't care. He's a 1 % guy.

 

[houstonscott]

I read an article not long ago that estimated that almost 80% of all materials collected to recycle in the USA was eventually retired to normal landfills. Not much is recycled even that collected and separated go to the same landfill where everyone else's garbage ends up, not much incentive when you know the truth of what happens.

HS