I just got my first utility bill since moving to the city, and I see there’s a garbage charge of $28.51. The bill doesn’t indicate whether this is a monthly or annual charge, or a one-time fee. That seems crazy high to me for a monthly charge, and the utility department isn’t open yet so I reckon I’ll turn to the SDMB for answers.
1.) Is this a typical monthly fee for municipal trash pickup? I live in Central Florida, if that matters.
2.) What are my odds of having the ability to handle my own trash removal and discontinuing trash service while retaining the other city utilities?
I just want to know what I’m up against when I call the city today, if indeed there’s any point. If the answer is “I wish my pickup was that cheap” coupled with “the dump is way more expensive and they’ll turn off your water” then I don’t suppose I’ll bother.
I’d guess that it’s a monthly fee, but I’m sure asking a neighbor or calling city hall could give you a definitive answer. We pay $20/mo here, however, this is a private removal firm as our town doesn’t do trash pickup at all. First place in my life that didn’t include it as a serviced covered by taxes, but the property tax is about half what it was in the last NH town I lived in, so I guess we don’t mind too much.
Up here in OH, I’m charged $45 every three months for trash removal (and sewer charges are another $45 every three months too) within city limits. When we first moved in, we did not sign up for the trash service, we added it later, so I’m pretty certain you can decline that service at any time. You should be able to then hire a private hauler, but you’re getting off pretty well if that’s the quarterly charge, IMHO.
It seems like a reasonable fee. I pay about $25/mo. in the Minneapolis/St. Paul suburbs.
I believe that most, if not all, communities (in the US) won’t let you stop garbage collection service. They would have to wonder if you don’t have it collected, what are you doing with it? There is no financial incentive for a city to allow some other means of disposal such as combining with a neighbor or taking it to a work dumpster. They could easily assume that you are tossing out garbage in city park trash containers or empty lots.
I just check a City Code book for a local suburb and confirmed that they do require each residence to have garbage service. I think it’s a pretty good assumption that all do.
The sanitation part of my water bill is just shy of $20/month at least as of this bill I dug off my desk from May. That’s for the default-sized trashcan + the recycle bin (which you’d get whether you use it or not).
Having never lived in an area where garbage collection was billed separately, I’ve always wondered about this. If you only reside in your home for part of year, can you cancel the service for those months when you are away (I’m thinking of retired people who might spend the winter months in Florida, for example) or are you stuck with paying year-round?
Thanks for all your replies. It looks like it’s about average.
I spoke to City Hall today. The $28.51 is a prorated charge. From here on it will be less than $20. They won’t let me discontinue the trash service. I have a hard time believing the dump is going to charge me twenty dollars to unload four black trash bags.
I’m happy that the fee will be lower, but not so pleased that they won’t sell me water unless I buy trash service from them too. I thought we had laws against that kind of thing.
My (quarterly) water bill has a $7.50 “refuse charge” on it, but one also has to use specially marked garbage bags, which are something like $2.80 a piece.
There has been some hubub about an alternate trash collection service that uses grabage totes
Too much for me, I go through 1 maybe 2 bags a month. The hubbub is due a city ordanance limiting rubbish containers to 30 gallons (except for dumpsters)
