Comments on: Seattle trash pickup every other week? First community briefing Tuesday @ Admiral Neighborhood Association

By: SarahScoot

SarahScoot — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 21:29:19 +0000

I’m down for it if, like others said, we see a corresponding rate decrease. I also think it’s ridiculous that we have to pay for the food and yard waste pickup service, but it’s then sold back to the public as compost. Either make the service free and charge for the compost, or charge for the pickup and offer free compost. The double-dipping on that one drives me nuts.

Right now, my family of three puts out one nearly-full kitchen trash bag weekly. That fits into the smallest can SPU offers. We have a toddler in diapers, but thanks to using cloth, not disposables, we did not see an increase in trash output with his birth. :-)

By: brandon

brandon — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 20:10:07 +0000

The pay as you go system works like this: You buy wicked expensive trash bags from the city and the city will only pick up those bags if put out, nothing else. When you fill the bag, you put it out for pickup. No other service fees.
This is clearly a half service for full price scam.

By: brian

brian — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 04:56:22 +0000

Don’t do it. We have biweekly trash pickup here in Renton and its terrible. Always overflowing trash and having to shove in to the bins. Especially bad with the recent winds blowing everyone’s overstuffed trash all around the neighborhood.

By: trickycoolj

trickycoolj — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 23:14:04 +0000

I’d certainly like to see recycle every week. Mine has been overflowing for a week waiting for this week’s pickup.

I was hoping to downsize to a microcan this year (single household) since my 20gal is often only half full. So instead of saving $5 and downsizing, I’ll have to keep paying the same amount. I hope that for larger families they can upgrade to the larger can at no extra cost if the output doubles for bi-weekly pickup. And how long until the garbage union complains that the bi-weekly pickups are too heavy because people start compacting their trash and charging us for overweight containers?

By: jennck

jennck — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 23:12:52 +0000

If this passes, I feel for my neighbors having to smell dirty diapers and dog poopy for 2 weeks. YUCK. Seriously, this is just a bad idea all around. Especially if there is no change in the pricing structure. The only one benefiting will be the pockets of the city. When I use to live in DC, we had garbage and recycle pick up 2 times a week, and we had big bins for garbage (like our recycle bins here.) There’s just a sanitary issue at play to consider.

By: Mat

Mat — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 21:12:21 +0000

One thing I don’t see mentioned either is the quality of the cans we use… They’re pretty bad, especially when it comes to keeping critters/weather/bugs/etc out. I think I’d be more open to this proposal if we had a sturdier can with an attached lid like what is provided for recycling and yard waste.

By: bockrock

bockrock — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 20:05:58 +0000

Let’s not forget about the ants too! I live in Admiral and the whole neighborhood is one giant ant colony. Come summer you can easily tell who puts food in their yard waste containers by the continuous ant trails. I ONLY put vegetable matter in my yard waste.

I require every week service.

By: anonyme

anonyme — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 20:04:53 +0000

Unless my solid waste bill is a) cut in half, or b) I’m provided with a bigger can for the same price, this is a dumb idea. Nice try, Seattle – always trying to screw the taxpayer in some new fashion. This is just a not-so-sneaky way to raise fees yet again. I forgot – when are those City Council salary cuts taking effect?

By: Betsy

Betsy — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 06:52:31 +0000

Alphonse,

You are a saint for taking care of your father in such a challenging situation. I wish I could sponsor your garbage service!

For a little comic relief re: the garbage preachers here, click on the link in the post above yours.

By: Civik

Civik — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 03:44:34 +0000

Hah @ Mike. Though I’m guilty of Socks and Sandals!

You also can’t compost grease! It must be thrown out. Don’t believe me? Read SPU’s info on grease disposal!

By: Alphonse

Alphonse — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 02:06:08 +0000

@freddiejr: Can you please direct me to a diaper service that deals in adult diapers? Soiled Depends are the reason that I had to switch to a large can when my elderly father moved in with me. I guess I could just send him to a nursing home and let them deal with it so I could go back to the micro can and the moral superiority that goes along with it.

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 01:39:10 +0000

For the people wondering how garbage smells, honestly, it’s garbage. Unless you’re scrubbing and sanitizing your garbage with bleach, it’ll smell. Why do I picture some of the people commenting on here like the people in the Pemco commercials? http://youtu.be/F9rSZAY8Z6Q

By: AJ

AJ — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 22:50:08 +0000

Please, just leave us alone!!
These people (Seattle City Council) are nuts.
We already recycle, etc.

Why don’t they make this optional for garbage pick-up?

By: Bill

Bill — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 20:43:01 +0000

This might work for a single or a two person household. No way would it work for our family of three. From what I understand, the monthly rate we pay would hardly change. So, half the service for roughly the same price.

If the city is that desperate to save money, perhaps they should consider disbanding the city council. They waste an unbelievable amount of our tax money (think self-cleaning street toilets downtown), and then come up with ridiculous plans like this to screw over their main source of revenue.

By: JoAnne

JoAnne — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 20:02:13 +0000

Seattle uses the utility services as a form of tax. They are continually increasing rates while providing fewer or reduced services.
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When yard waste collection started, our fee paid for up to 10 cans, bundles, or “units” of clean green. Now it’s down to 1.
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This means that during spring, most folks are making trips to the dump again, just like we did before yard waste service started.
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As for rotting garbage, maybe all you garbage “saints” out there should note that the city does not allow anyone to “opt out” of garbage service.
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Even if no one is living in a house and there is no trash to pick up, the city will not turn off its garbage “service.”