The Observation Deck

Is the city not yet collecting yard waste? I put out a bag of yard waste last night, as did many of my neighbors, and it all appears to be uncollected.

I was actually wondering about the garbage collection today itself ... apparently the garbage workers must be easily distracted, as I had two trash cans on my treelawn this morning. Both filled. When I got home today, one was empty, and the other was still full. Maybe I shouldn't have put it on the curb ... too obvious a place? I'd like to know what they were thinking, to miss one but empty the other.

If I call, will they come back to pick up the garbage they missed?

Give them a call. They are not perfect and every time I've called regarding a missed pick up it was taken care of during the next business day.

I hear you about the garbage.

We have an elderly neighbor and she paid someone to clean up her yard. Unfortunately they put her yard waste in black plastic bags. Lots of them - I think we counted 15-16. For two weeks the trash people let them sit because they weren't in the appropriate bags. Every one it seemed like in the garbage department has been up and down our street in the last 2 weeks. Any of them could have picked them up - but they got out looked at them and got back in their trucks and drove away.

Last night my husband went and unbagged over half of them (8) and rebagged them, but the dog walkers had also filled them with doggie doo -over the last 2 weeks so it was a very gross job. We ran out of bags. Today the garbage men took the "appropriate" bagged yard waste but still refused to get the rest.

I guess I understand the environmental reason for wanting them in paper bags - but couldn't they have warned her and taken them this once? Just venting - but it is hard for seniors and sometimes we make it harder.

as a follow up, they did come and collect my garbage today, after I called and left a message last night. But I'm still unsure why they dumped one can, and left the other standing right next to it. They didn't even have to give me their vaunted backyard service, as I had them right on the treelawn next to the street, as do nearly all of my neighbors.

It's not the first time either. Perhaps they're just easily distracted or something like that.

Lynn Farris wrote:I guess I understand the environmental reason for wanting them in paper bags - but couldn't they have warned her and taken them this once? Just venting - but it is hard for seniors and sometimes we make it harder.

On the other side of town they were sitting as well.

These had gotten moldy.


.

For what it is worth..

The people that pick up yard waste are not the same people that pick up the trash and neither of those groups pick up recycling.

Sometimes (especially if there is a new person in the route) the yard waste team might think "Oh - thats trash - we'll leave it" while the trash guys thing "Oh thats yard waste - we'll leave it" ditto for recycling..

Improper preparation of yard waste and recycling can contribute to this bit of human error and it usually just takes a phone call to get the bags picked up.

We had that happen when we have a few bits of twigs and debris that we put on top of the trash in one of our containers. It was mostly trash, but at a glance what you saw was debris. I called and the guys on my route came back with a "Oh geez I am sorry I thought it was waste" We laughed, he took the trash, everyone was happy.

Maybe its just something simple, human, and easily corrected

Always,
Charyn

According to the refuse department, they have started putting notices on the doors of properties that have an excessive amount of incorrectly bagged yard waste. From what I was told, if it is just a couple the garbage collectors simply break open the bags and empty the contents into the truck, but they don't have time if there are a bunch.

So use the correct bags or you will have to re bag them!

There's a house nearby that hangs their blue recyclables from their tree every week. Pretty tacky!

Ryan Salo wrote:According to the refuse department, they have started putting notices on the doors of properties that have an excessive amount of incorrectly bagged yard waste. From what I was told, if it is just a couple the garbage collectors simply break open the bags and empty the contents into the truck, but they don't have time if there are a bunch.

So use the correct bags or you will have to re bag them!

Funny, I got one of those tags, but none of the bags on the treelawn was yard waste. Pretty silly really.

Maybe they don't know the difference between fiberglass insulation and leaves?

Another yard waste issue.

Another bag of yard waste was refused yesterday. It was bagged appropriately in the paper yard waste bag. However, I guess the reason it was refused is a dog walker had come and deposited doggie doo in the bag.

I love dogs, I love that people walk dogs up and down our street. I appreciate the fact that they are picking up after their dogs. I'm sure they don't realize they are invalidating the yard waste.

I guess we now have to treat the yard waste as trash? I really have done the same things for 20 years living here and have never had problems before.

Just thought I would share - because I 'm sure the dog walkers don't realize they are causing a problem with this.