2009.01.08
Garbage collection in Christiansburg
The Christiansburg Town Council this week heard from citizens about mandatory garbage collection. In our Sunday NRV Current editorial, we will urge the council to give the idea serious consideration as the budget season gets underway. Part of the point of living in a town is to consolidate services, and that works best if everyone participates. In addition, ti will reduce abuses by some people who might use business dumpsters or even less appropriate places for dumping.
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I thought they already had it. We lived in town for several years and when we signed up for water/sewer service, we also got trash collection. Are they talking about apartment complex locations, or individual houses...because it always seemed like the single-family houses had trash collection services always provided.
Comment by Other John — January 8, 2009 @ 11:51 am
They have garbage collection, but it is optional. Of about 8,650 residential water customers, 5,900 pay to have garbage picked up.
Comment by c. trejbal — January 8, 2009 @ 12:06 pm
The consumer is ALWAYS better off having more options rather than fewer.
Comment by Jim — January 8, 2009 @ 3:21 pm
"The consumer is ALWAYS better off having more options rather than fewer."
Not always. Some people freeze up when given a choice. They are afraid of making a wrong decision.
Comment by Henry — January 8, 2009 @ 3:53 pm
Right, so if you and your neighbors on each side of you split the bi-monthly garbage choice now, then all 3 of you could just pile it in one big pile in front of the person's house who has it on their bill.
I think making it 'mandatory' is a way of preventing that from happening.
Comment by Marked Man — January 9, 2009 @ 8:52 am
I see this as one of those things that once it happens everyone will quit crying about it and love it. Who wouldn't rather put their can at the end of their driveway instead of lugging bags of who-knows-what in your car all around town?
Comment by HCS — January 9, 2009 @ 8:58 am
"then all 3 of you could just pile it in one big pile in front of the person's house who has it on their bill. " Marked
LOL! Yes, but the person who takes their neighbor's garbage should receive some kind of compensation for letting it reside on his property. Hey, maybe they could all just move into the same house and share the mortgage? And carpool. And share the lawn mower. I see a commune coming.
"Who wouldn't rather put their can at the end of their driveway" - HCS
Options HCS. What you find desirable/affordable may not be so for others. Example: most let banks roll their property taxes and insurance into their mortgage payment, but a few save 0.125% and do it themselves. People are weird.
Comment by Jim — January 9, 2009 @ 10:39 am
True True Jim. But I still stand that if they make it mandatory you won't ever hear anything negative about it.
Comment by HCS — January 9, 2009 @ 10:59 am
"I see a commune coming." - Jim
Err, Jim, dontcha think people are possibly smart enough to keep it in trash cans on their own property until the morning that the trash runs and then take it next door down to the road??
I think only the people who live in communes would be 'smart' enough to pile it up on their neighbors doorstep all week long.
Comment by Marked Man — January 9, 2009 @ 11:09 am
Remember also that the town limits how much trash one can put out in a week:
"Please have your garbage out by 8:00 A.M. on your day of pickup. Garbage should not exceed the contents of three (3) 32-Gallon containers or the equivalent volume of smaller containers."
Probably not an issue most weeks for neighbors who cheat, but it could be a problem some weeks, around the holidays, for example.
Comment by c. trejbal — January 9, 2009 @ 11:11 am
Out of curiosity, in Blacksburg, are you required to only use the trash cans that the town provides you?
I know it would simplify the way its dumped because they can pull up to the curb and the truck lifts and dumps the specialized can. Also it would prevent a trash commune from being organized by only providing citizens who actually have the fee on their bill two trash cans.
If thats how it is in the other burg, i dont see why C'burg would need to make it mandatory then?
Comment by Marked Man — January 9, 2009 @ 11:25 am
Some people are talking about neighbors pooling their garbage as if it was a bad thing. I don't understand this. Is it a tenet of fundamentalist faith that I never heard of before?
If 2 or 3 neighbors only have enough garbage to fill one neighbor's container(s), how could it be wrong to save the town the expense of 3 pickups?
Comment by Ed H — January 9, 2009 @ 12:02 pm
Marked, yes...you must use the Town provided trash cans because they have to be lifted by a Waste Management truck with the mechanical arm. I do not think the Town has pick-up for other types of trash other than tree limbs & yard waste, and large items. If they do, I don't remember ever using it when we lived in town.
Comment by Other John — January 9, 2009 @ 12:07 pm
In most cases, the trucks are already going through virtually every neighborhood as it is since service is requested by a lot of residents. This would fill in the remaining gaps most likely, and not result in a significant cost increase other than some additional time for the workers and a few additional trips to the tipping facility.
Comment by Other John — January 9, 2009 @ 12:09 pm
Hmm Ed, I dont know, perhaps its just as wrong that everyone pays the same tax rate in town to pay for road repair whether you work from home or deliver flowers. Some use the roads more than others right?
Comment by Marked Man — January 9, 2009 @ 12:31 pm