HASSO HERING

A perspective from Oregon’s mid-Willamette Valley

When the bin’s full, stop working

Written June 9th, 2016 by Hasso Hering

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Picture this: The yard waste container is filled to the brim, but the pick-up day for yard debris is more than a week away. The first thing to do is to take a break from the kind of yard work that generates more debris. The next thing is to wonder whether weekly service, rather than every other week, would be a good deal.

In March 2015, Republic Services, the Albany disposal franchise holder, asked the council whether it was interested in having the company make weekly instead of biweekly yard debris collections. This would allow customers to add their food waste to their yard debris to be turned into compost. But the change would have a price. It would raise the bill of trash service by $3 a month for all customers, not just those who wanted yard waste picked up every week.

The council turned down the change last year. But on Wednesday Bill Root, a North Albany resident who had spoken up in favor of weekly yard waste service then, brought it up to the council again. Councilors reacted the same way they did in 2015. Why should people have to pay extra for something they may not want and don’t need? That seemed to be the prevailing attitude on the council, and it’s hard to disagree.

If people’s yards generate more debris than one container every two weeks can handle, especially in the spring and fall, they can pay extra and get Republic Services to provide them with a second bin. And if they don’t want their food waste to end up in the landfill, where it doesn’t do any harm, they can either produce less or start composting it on their own. (hh)

 





10 responses to “When the bin’s full, stop working”

  1. Bill Kapaun says:

    Or not wait until June to rake up leaves that fell last Fall.

  2. Ray Kopczynski says:

    Multiple times, my neighbor and I simply add our “excess” to each others bin if there’s room. Rarely do we have an issue with running out of room for both simultaneously. That probably can’t work well if your neighbor is 100+ yards away…

  3. Jim Engel says:

    Or, get to know your neighbor & share space in your bin. Not every household has a bin full every two weeks. Another trick, but a bit risky, is to use a step ladder & get in the bin & stomp it down. Makes for a bunch more space. Thru recycling & the yard bin our small pure garbage bin is rarely full. Now if we were a 3rd world country……. :(..JE

  4. rich Kellum says:

    Or they could get a shredder and reduce the leaves by a bunch and then they probably would fit in the every other week pick up.

  5. Tony White says:

    Here’s another example of liberal thinking. If a liberal wants to achieve what (s)he thinks is a noble goal, everyone should pay for it whether it benefits them personally or not. The system is fine just as it is: if you use it, you pay for it. If you don’t, you don’t. Thanks, Council.

  6. hj.anony1 says:

    It will be a slow creep down I-5 from Portland where food waste recycling is required. We may never see that here in the hub of the Willamette Valley which …I think…. 99% of commenters would agree that is “a-ok”!

    Every time my brother in-law complains about food waste recycling I just laugh and laugh!

  7. MJ Stalnaker says:

    If they would do every week during the early spring through fall, perhaps
    6 months and those wanting it be billed for it.

  8. Heather Crabtree says:

    I have two yard debris bins that get used year round. I pay for that because I have a high-maintenance yard. Definitely don’t expect my neighbors to pay to keep up my roses or the rest of my jungle.

  9. Brian Lee says:

    Residential food waste/yard waste recycling in Corvallis is picked up weekly. and works great. It’s amazing how much of the trash is actually compostable. Between the commingled and organic carts, curbside monthly glass pickup, and the Republic Services recycling center, I hardly have any garbage left. I wish food waste recycling was used more often by restaurants and other food service operations.

 

 
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