Let's swear at the garbage collector, shall we?

[Bob The Random Boy Wonder]

For my first story, I will share with you a sighting that happened right outside my home earlier today.

Today was trash day, and after the trash man comes by and picks up our trash, I go outside and get the cans so the wind doesn't blow them into the street. (I've seen too many trash cans obliterated by bad drivers--in broad daylight--to let mine become the next victims.) Our trash man is one of the nicest people you'd ever meet, and he's never given me or anyone else a reason to yell at him. Until today, apparently. I'm walking down the driveway, and, all of a sudden, I hear this loud stream of course expletives streaming from across the street. It turns out the neighbor lady has things she's trashing that the trash man won't take. Those things? A 55-gallon drum and some metal rods. The conversation I heard went a little something like this:

Neighbor Lady: NL
Trash man: TM

NL: &#&*$%*#^%*#^(!!!!!
TM: I'm sorry, ma'am. I can't take these.
NL: &#$*#^$*#%$#%@&!!!!!
TM: (getting frustrated) I'm sorry, ma'am! There's nothing I can do!
NL: (swearing even louder and more coarsely)
TM: (screaming) SHUT UP, LADY!

A few minutes passed, and I bet myself $5 that she'd call the trash company and complain that the trash man was rude. Knowing that I'd been in customer service before and how much it meant to have witnesses in situations like these, I went inside and called their customer service line to tell them I'd witnessed the whole incident and the trash man was not at fault. Guess what? She'd already called to complain, but my witnessing the situation caused them to drop the complaint.

I can only wonder how this would have turned out if I had waited to go out and get my trash cans 10 minutes later. Trash man must be a very disposable job.

As for the lady, use some common sense! Don't people know that metal rods would destroy a trash truck's compactor?

[Kisa]

You mean to tell me there are things the garbage man CAN'T TAKE?!! Unheard of!!! Awe poopy... *pulls toxic waste and car engine off the curb*

[Marmalady]

Don't people know that metal rods would destroy a trash truck's compactor?

Someone like her wouldn't care even if they did know. They want the stuff taken away and as far as they're concerned, that's an end to it.

[notlovinit]

Good for you for helping that guy! That's an awesome story!

[Racket_Man]

You mean to tell me there are things the garbage man CAN'T TAKE?!! Unheard of!!! Awe poopy... *pulls toxic waste and car engine off the curb*

in my city (and mabye the county and state) the local municiple trash guys can no longer take ANY electronics (TVs, PC, Stereos, phones, speakers, etc.), massive amount of "move out waste" (maybe a one time deal only and that is limited to a certain cubic footage), home improvement waste (large quantities of dry wall, wiring, plumbing (PVC or metal) siding,, gutters), yard waste (grass clippings though they DO allow for a once a year tree/bush trimming but not whole trees) and household cleaning items (such as old cleaning products, bug spray, hazardious material stuff) and paint (you have to go to a special facility to dispose of that) .

there are a whole host of things you can (and do get) fined for if you put them out to the curb these days. if you exceed the cubic footage allowed on some items they will bill you for the disposal.

they do not want to fill up landfills with toxic and non degradeable stuff

[Bob The Random Boy Wonder]

I think the "no electronics" thing is a national law now, actually. Imagine me trying to explain this to my grandmother, who wanted to throw away a 36" CRT TV that suffered the most horrible death a TV could suffer not too long ago. She refused to believe me. Sure enough, she called the trash company and got told the same thing I was trying to tell her. Our trash man will sometimes take things for us he's not supposed to (especially in regards to large amounts of tree trimmings), but I knew he wouldn't take a TV right away. Nerd I am, I keep up on pretty much anything electronics-related, including laws about disposal/recycling of electronics.

Someone like her wouldn't care even if they did know.

Little did you know you hit this nail right on the head. Did I mention this particular neighbor is a "board-certified" psychic? She once gave me a reading that consisted of telling me my name. Oh--my name was on the back of my shirt that day in huge font!

[blas]

Aye, and sometimes there are landlords who go through the dumpsters to be sure that no one is trying to throw away a microwave or a car battery.

[Argus]

in my city (and mabye the county and state) the local municiple trash guys can no longer take ANY electronics (TVs, PC, Stereos, phones, speakers, etc.),

I was wondering whether that included things like toaster ovens. I had one where the cord next to the plug became noticeably warm the last time I used it. I don't have the skills to replace the cord, and those don't cost enough to justify trying to get it repaired.

It ended up sitting on my dining room table for a while until Earth Day this year, when my employer arranged for a recycling firm to have a drop-off site in our parking lot for the day. That firm seemed to include a seller of reconditioned appliances, so I took in the toaster over and made sure they knew about the cord.

[tropicsgoddess]

Glad you helped get the complaint the SC made against the trash man dropped.

[mattm04]

We have a private company do curbside trash pickup in my town. It is strictly between the homeowner and haulage firm, the town is not involved.

The have the the restrictions on hazardous waste in the regular trash, however if you call them in advance they will arrange for pickup of it, some items do have a small fee involved. One of my neighbors didn't get that and was pissed they they never took their box filled with old chemicals.

[Laund-o-rama Mama]

*pulls toxic waste and car engine off the curb*

That was awesome what you did for the trash guy. May the good karma fairies bless you!

[MnR]

Our pickup is the same way... they are getting stricter and stricter about things they will or won't take. Our city used to have two days a year where you could sit out anything but tires and paint and they'd haul it off, I do mean anything, furniture, home improvement stuff, etc. But with the budget crunch they did away with it and upped the cost of big item tags from 1 to 10 dollars and now have a strict 6 bag policy for houses, though we get some leeway being an apartment complex of 6. I'm just waiting for the day we get notice that the city isn't picking up our trash anymore and we have to buy a dumpster.

[Nashida]

First off:

Trash man must be a very disposable job.

Nice.

Second, thank goodness you did go out to collect your cans. That lady would have dinged him big time for using the dreaded word "No". And as we all know, no= RUDE!!

[dalesys]

Second, thank goodness you did go out to collect your cans.

Well, I gots to protect my can.

[EricKei]

Around here, we just have "normal" trash days and "big trash" days - Every other week or so, the second collection day (of two) of the week is "big trash day" -- stuff like branches and non-toxic appliances and such (read: nothing with freon or whatever; those, I think you have to make special arrangements for). If you have that stuff out, they'll take the normal cans and enter a note in their computer with your address. Later that day, or the next morning, a special hauler will come by that will snag the trash that not appropriate for standard trucks.