25 Replies to "Out of the inbox: Trash trucks too early?"

• OP March 11, 2008 (11:32 am)

  When we moved to W.S. a couple of years ago and started waste collection service, we were instructed to have our cans in the alley by 7am. I’ve not once heard them before come before that time. I appreciate not wanting noise before 6:30am, but let’s be honest: It’s once a week, during the week and if it helps the crew get their work done and the garbage collected in a timely manner so that rats and other critters don’t get to use to garbage, then losing a couple minutes of sleep is no big deal. There are bigger fish to fry, IMO.

• JBC March 11, 2008 (11:49 am)

  Hi, I need to explain that in our alley this happens daily as they are picking up from all the businesses. It also isn’t just a one time thing with one truck coming through doing one pick up. Several different trucks come through several times between 6:30 and when I leave for work at 8:30 and who knows how long after that.

  JBC

• cruiser March 11, 2008 (11:50 am)

  They gotta start their day somewhere and dare I say I’d rather they start in your alley than mine:) Jeez sometimes I’m just so honest:)

• Christopher Boffoli March 11, 2008 (11:51 am)

  I feel for you. I used to live in an apartment building downtown on an alley that was serviced by garbage and recycling bins for three different buildings. We had trucks coming at all hours. Exacerbating the problem is the lack of any kind of sound-proofing on the trucks and the fact that all of the hard surfaces in alleys (concrete, buildings, fences) do nothing to absorb sound.

  The City of Seattle’s move to a new recycling vendor in the near future brings the promise of some quieter trucks that run on natural gas. But as the city becomes increasingly densely populated I expect this will be just one part of a continuing problem of excessive noise for residents.

• eli March 11, 2008 (12:00 pm)

  I too hear the trucks in the morning and I live in a building between Cali and 42nd. And it is actually a couple times a week between garbage pickup and recyling. Most of the time it is around 9am and that is fine. But the Sat recycling pickup at 9am is annoying. I do wish the trucks were quieter and there was less banging, but then again, the alternative is worse. :)

• KJM March 11, 2008 (12:07 pm)

  My husband was awakened at 3:30AM this morning to our entire house vibrating (which happens when the garbage trucks rumble down our street, 41st) and the trucks continued to beep and make noise for at least 10 minutes just down the street ensuring that he was good and awake. My husband has sleep issues and if he’s awakened in the middle of the night he typically can’t get back to sleep – so, yeah, I think it is a big deal even if it’s only once a week.

  I agree they need to do their work but 3:30 is a little early to be banging around on our side streets. On our normal collection day, Friday, they arrive at 7am on the dot, and have done so for the 12 years we’ve been here. 7am, I can deal with, 3:30am, not so much.

• Sue March 11, 2008 (12:13 pm)

  Back in NYC you not only had the garbage trucks coming at 3 or 4am, but you had the workers yelling back and forth to each other (over the sound of the truck), and often cursing you and the quantity or weight of your garbage. (We didn’t pay for garbage, so you could have a dozen bags/cans out there if you wanted.) So having them come at 7am is a much better alternative to me.

• Evan Dando March 11, 2008 (12:42 pm)

  Is a vehicle that runs on natural gas necessarily quieter than a vehicle that runs on regular old gas? I don’t get that, please explain.

• deb March 11, 2008 (12:56 pm)

  We live on Delridge and Brandon and they are in our alley picking up trash at 5 am, I hate it, I’ve tried calling the trash company and sometimes this has worked for a little while, but eventually they always go back to the 5 am time.

• CMP March 11, 2008 (1:01 pm)

  I’ll take a steady stream of garbage trucks and dumpsters being dropped at that hour over listening to my neighbor having really loud sex at 3:00 am any day. Try earplugs…they don’t really work for me but it helps mitigate the noise a little bit. I think I have more of an issue with the articulated 54 rumbling down California…those buses are loud. I know, that’s what I get for living on a busy arterial, but they rattle my old storm windows pretty darn good.

• Iridius March 11, 2008 (1:07 pm)

  We had this same problem in North Seattle, (I live in North Seattle, work in West Seattle), with the Taco Bell two houses from us. We ended up calling the corporate headquarters and complaining. They soon changed the scheduled pickup time to after 8 am.

• LVA March 11, 2008 (1:48 pm)

  I agree with CMP – my complaint are the buses. The ones driving down Delridge are horrible! There are 2 bus routes and they run very frequently. I am a block off but my entire house rattles. It really sucks. Trash trucks – we love ’em. If we hear them we run out so my son can watch and wave. :)

• flipjack March 11, 2008 (2:05 pm)

  That’s the downside to Condo livin’!

• T Prescott March 11, 2008 (2:05 pm)

  Hate to say this but when you live in the city, the noise comes with it. And when you live in a condo that was built around numerous buildings, this is going to happen. Not to mention the smells that you may get from the restaurant below, or the smoke smell from the people outside the bar, or the noise from the bar and as mentioned before, listening to your neighbors have sex. If you can hear them, they more than likely can hear you!
  Sorry not to sound compassionate, I really do feel for you having this problem, but I think many people will find out after the fact that condo living means more sacrifices that you can not possibly plan for.

• Juliana Hatfield March 11, 2008 (2:08 pm)

  Evan Dando: Busses and trucks that run on natural gas (either in liquid or compressed gas form) are 50% quieter than those loud diesel trucks, are much more fuel efficient, require less maintenance and reduce emissions output by up to 90%.

• kjm March 11, 2008 (3:23 pm)

  I wouldn’t assume everyone writing in is in a condo. Case in point, I’m in a house, a house built in 1917, just north of the Junction. When I moved here in 1996 the Junction was all but dead. I’m now thrilled with my location so close to the Junction and I know that things are continuing to change, but I shouldn’t have to just accept that big city noise is going to enter my neighborhood as well. When we’re hearing garbage trucks at 3:30am, I have issue with that. If I were in downtown Seattle, NYC or any big downtown area I would expect city noise. That’s what you bargain for when you choose city life. West Seattle isn’t downtown. I think it’s reasonable to expect my neighborhood to remain quiet until 7am – from condo construction all around me to garbage trucks.

• JanS March 11, 2008 (3:39 pm)

  hmm…I live on the delivery side of Admiral Safeway, so I’m used to trucks coming and going. After a while you just don’t hear them any more. But…I do hear the guys with their sweepers out in the parking lot at 10pm or 10:30pm….annoying every time, especially since they’re really just moving the dirt around. We have complained enough that the manager now tries to get it done before 10pm…

• flipjack March 11, 2008 (4:59 pm)

  Actually, next time you hear the trucks, just think of how nice it is that you are still nice and worm and comfortable in your bed while those people out there are out in the cold dealing with your smelly garbage way too early in the morning.
  I always sleep better when someone else is doing something for me while I rest.

• chas redmond March 11, 2008 (6:26 pm)

  It is true, though, that heavy buses and freight delivery trucks literally pound the concrete, which because it is massive and deep, carries these vibrations to the foundations of houses as far as a block away. The ground isn’t moving so much as the vibrations of the truck or bus’ weight on the concrete is being transmitted directly to you through your wood frame house. Wood is really nice in many ways. Wood houses sound much better when playing music or using one’s sound system. That’s because the house becomes part of the sounding board. The back side of this is the “feel” you get when a heavy vehicle rumbles down an adjacent concrete runway. But, I’d still rather live in a frame house than any other kind. If your apartment or condo is brick or concrete, the vibrations aren’t damped much by the wood so you get even more direct “feel.” On the up side, the higher you are above the ground, the less the vibrations will travel. This would argue for 10 and 20 story condos or apartments. That would make the Junction as much of a downtown as the U-District or First Hill. As Rosanne Rosanna Danna used to say (bless her soul) – It’s always something.

• GenHillOne March 11, 2008 (7:48 pm)

  Our truck always comes between 6:30 and 6:45 too. What I can’t figure out is why they tell you to put cans out by 7:00 if they’re going to come earlier…? And we are in a residential area, no businesses BTW.

• Ken March 11, 2008 (8:41 pm)

  Not to make light of the issue, well not too much…

  I am already up at 4. My trash pickup is in the ally between 7:30 and 8:30.

  I could not tell you any closer than that because I don’t usually hear the trucks. When the Rottweiler was still alive, we always knew when the trucks were in the neighborhood, but my current pack of slackers just run up to the fence to be petted.

  Something to be said for those 1940’s houses when it comes to sound proofing.

• rockergirl March 11, 2008 (9:19 pm)

  Construction noise is more annoying to me than the garbage truck as it goes on hour after hour for months! Just so you know the city noise ordinance is that they are not suppose to start working before 7 am and can work until 10 pm Mon – Fri. Sat & Sun from 9 am until 10 pm. Can be quite bothersome when they are building a HUMMER house next door. If you run into a situation like we did where the cement truck showed up at 5 am one day you and your neighbors will not be too happy. I have filed several complaints with the city – they send out the inspectors but what’s the point as they do nothing but warn them. This contractor and his client did not even have the correct permits – for the addition of the 2nd story! What a nightmare and now we get to live next to them. Fun, fun, fun!

• Jojofrenchfry March 11, 2008 (9:46 pm)

  GenHillOne – I don’t get that either! I leave the house every day at 7am for work – and that is when I drag my trash down to the street. So on occasion when the yard waste truck runs down our street at 6:45am before my can is there, I get annoyed! It’s never the garbage or recycle truck that comes early, just the yard waste truck!

• Barbara March 12, 2008 (4:08 pm)

  I’m sort of with CMP, I don’t have neighbors that have sex at 3 am, but I do have neighbors above and below that both play loud music (not even the same music), almost all day, most of the night and very very early in the morning. After loud dueling thumping of music I don’t mind the trucks.

• Booger March 12, 2008 (8:56 pm)

  I live in a house off 44th. There are condo’s on the California side, with a few businesses thrown in. I’ve never had a problem with too early garbage\recycle pickup… Thank goodness. There are a few times a week we see the guys waiting to start @ ~7am. They are always couteous drivers in the alley, doing a fine job of picking up our refuse, and I appreciate it.

  The only time I could complain, is when our lid ended up in the alley, and some moron ran over it.

Sorry, comment time is over.