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Do you support Lawrence moving to pay-per-throw based pricing for its trash services?
| Response | Percent | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No | 49% | 445 | |
| Yes | 40% | 366 | |
| I don’t know | 9% | 84 | |
| Total | 895 | ||
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Comments
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consumer1 (anonymous) says…
Absolutely pay by the amount you throw out. I take my trash out about every three weeks, and then it is just one container. Since I started recycling about 10 years ago and my actual trash has been very limited.
consumer1 (anonymous) says…
I do wonder, when recycling was first being introduced, the selling point was, "this will save you money!!" I keep wondering when It will actually start saving me money? Prices from mfg continue to rise, trash disposal rates continue to rise. The cost of retail continues to rise. SO, I wonder where is all of this extra effort saving me any money??
Stain (anonymous) replies…
Deffenbaugh has a reputation for terrible service in K.C. So even if it were to save me money (I don't see how it's possible that it would) I don't want them.
Google up this:
deffenbaugh trash service reviews
and see what comes up. No thanks.
sunshine_noise (anonymous) says…
What do they carry a scale with them and weight every can of trash they dump in the truck? If the mfg stop over packaging foods we'd have less trash. I don't have time to sort my trash nor do I want the dirty job of doing it. If it comes to the importance of sorting trash over cleaning the house or doing laundry and going to work, well I'm only one person. You have to make your choices. I think the City is punishing consumers when it is the mfg who should be fined for overpackaging. They need to change.
sourpuss (anonymous) replies…
You can choose to purchase goods with less packaging. Get bagged cereal, buy meat from the butcher counter, etc. You don't need to buy the packaging you don't want. Switch products and write the companies to let them know you want less packaging.
artichokeheart (anonymous) says…
This is what happens when you get all the greenies sitting on municipal boards. You have a choice here. Either recycle or pay per pound or can of trash. I pass on usable items where I can or donate to agencies, but I'll be damned if I'm going to wash & sort the trash along with all the other things I have to do. When the tumble weeds are blowing down the street and the green fiends are long gone the rest will be here shaking thier heads.
sourpuss (anonymous) replies…
So you think people who throw away very little trash should subsidize those who throw away a lot? That is very socialist of you.
merrill (anonymous) says…
BUT I do not support turning the service over to Deffenbaugh .... a NON USA company.
More USA dollars leaving the USA.
Keep our locals on the payroll. People without jobs is hard on the local economy!
Deffenbaugh will NOT save us money.
artichokeheart (anonymous) replies…
Oh I see so what you are saying is that if itis done the way you want then it is good. If not then it is bad. You asked for it and you got it now try to live with yourself.
slowplay (anonymous) says…
No, you do not pay by the pound, you pay by the bag. You can have larger trash bags (say yellow) that cost $1. Smaller bags (KU blue) could be $.50. You buy your bags at selected sites throughout town. No big deal. The last 2 communities I lived in were very successful with this approach.
sourpuss (anonymous) replies…
I have also lived in communities that charge by volume (not weight) and it works very well. We also got a few tags for some "extra" trash for spring cleaning, etc., through the year.
Practicality (anonymous) says…
Who is going to pay for all the trash pick up on county roads out in the country when people start throwing their trash out there? I promise, this will be a problem that will need to be addressed if this happens.
sourpuss (anonymous) replies…
If people are going to go to the trouble of loading up their trash in their car, driving it somewhere, and pushing it out, why not recycle?
Stain (anonymous) replies…
Some trash cannot be recycled.
inklines (anonymous) says…
I'll buy a bunch of those fancy vacuum storage bags and start hoarding; won't throw anything away. Well, OK, maybe the local newspaper.
oneeye_wilbur (anonymous) says…
No, I'll just throw mine in the trash containers in the lobby at City Hall or the downtown trash receptacles. The sad thing is the city will charge you or the private concern even if you do not have any trash.
There was a court case about this issue over some 45 years ago in Elkhart Kansas. Maybe someone should take the city to court. Of course there, the issue was if you don't use the city trash service the city was going to shut off your water as the two were tied together. Sounds like Lawrence.
The auditor needs to go that was hired from Funkhouser's Front Porch. After all, look how Funkhouser has screwed up KCMO>
Mari (Mari Windermere) says…
Questions I have about the changes that are being proposed:
What about the pickup of furniture and other large items, especially at the end of July? In a college town, we need this service and I doubt those who have moved will pay for it.
How will this system be made fair when a pay-by-the-bag system could only affect house dwellers in a town of so many multiple family dwellings.
Also, what will happen to Monday's yard waste pickup?
Will those with more tree waste in their yards (that is not included in the Monday pickup) be charged extra for branch pickup?
What will we, as customers and tax payers, gain from privatization?
madameX (anonymous) replies…
Lots of other cities do big trash pickup days where one or twice a year people can put out couches and whatnot and not have to pay anything extra. If you want to throw out something big the rest of the time you have to set up a special pickup and usually pay a fee. Lawrence could do something like that and set a big trash day around moving time.
kernal (anonymous) replies…
1. The property owner gets charged.
2. Water, sewer & sanitation is usually included in tenant's rent. If not, then apt. owners will need to figure that out with the City.
3. Compost the yard waste; that's what the city does and is why it's free every Spring.
4. Does the City charge for branch pickup caused by large storms? If branch pickup needed due to pruning, ask the City.
5. We gain by not having to increase taxes to find a new dump site for the City. Remember when garbage barges floated off the coast of New Jersey because there was no where to put the garbage?
Mari (Mari Windermere) replies…
@kernal
I have lived here for 25 years. I know how it is currently run.
I am asking how it would change if they do, indeed, change the fundamental way they run their sanitation program, particularly if is is privatized.
I want the answers from the city before they make changes.
yourworstnightmare (anonymous) says…
Having everyone pay the same amount regardless of amount of trash generated is socialism, pure and simple.
Why should I have to subsidize those who generate lots of trash?
For all of you interested in rooting out socialism, one-price garbage collection is the place to start.
It is time to let the free market handle trash collection.
boltzmann (anonymous) replies…
By your logic, an all you can eat restaurant would be "socialism". It is not the one-price aspect that is "socialism" (as you would put it), but the fact that the city is running it - although, even here I would hesitate to use the word "socialism" for city run services, unless you think that fire and police protection is also "socialism". There are many "one-price" models in both free market and government run services.
I'm not necessarily opposed to privatizing trash collection, I just object to the overuse of the word "socialism" to describe everything - which seems to be popular currently. It cheapens the meaning of the word and makes it useless. One can be for city services and still not be a "socialist". Is someone a "socialist" because they are against privatizing the police department?
yourworstnightmare (anonymous) says…
Healthcare_moocher said: "Effect will be illegal dumping which I am sure will cost more than what is thought to be saved."
You are a socialist, moocher, wanting one-price garbage collection for all.
Illegal dumpers should simply be caught and prosecuted, as they are breaking the law, just like any other criminal.
The answer is not socialism to prevent illegal dumping.
Let the free market handle garbage collection and law enforcement handle law breakers.
Moderateguy (anonymous) says…
So will I get a credit for the 1/2 full container 50 out of 52 weeks? Answer = No. Then, on the rare occasion that we have some extra I pay extra. The net result is that nobody will see a decrease in their bill. Everybody will see an increase.
The city needs to get out of the business of trash collection. Then, everybody would see a cost reduction.
2002 (anonymous) says…
No way. I have a friend in CA and there they set water and electric penalty rates based on amount used per house. So house number one with one resident pays no penalty, the house next door with six residents uses less per person but pays a penalty. This dumb trash idea is about the same thing.
pace (anonymous) says…
I believe recycling and reduction is good and right. I don't believe we should use Defenbaugh. We will be sorry if we take that road. they use the bait and switch system of commerce. It will be more expensive in the end. I think. now we have ridded ourself of Yoos we should use our own city collection system. I like the cost by the container. The container the city supplies makes our trash easier to handle, animal safe and less littering. The city package should include once a week recycling collection. I would prefer the city to contract with a recycling provider rather than requiring each person to contract.
sourpuss (anonymous) says…
Normally, when towns move to volume-based pricing on trash, those who select the smallest bin often see their trash rates go -down-. I don't know why this would need to be contracted out. If anything, the city should build a recycling plant, put people to work, sell the recycled materials to manufacturers and charge for trash by volume to encourage people to recycle.
Keith (anonymous) replies…
"If anything, the city should build a recycling plant, put people to work,..."
An excellent industry for the new homeless shelter.
sunshine_noise (anonymous) replies…
You know that not a bad idea.
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
toe (anonymous) says…
Working for the government is a way of life for the majority of people in Lawrence. Do not expect any privatization effort to be well supported.
LadyJ (anonymous) says…
Would love to hear from someone living in Olathe where I believe Deffenbaugh picks up the trash. How much is their trash pickup charge?
LadyJ (anonymous) replies…
Looked on Olathe website, not sure if they use Deffenbaugh. How about the LJW doing a little investigating and give us the numbers.
Mari (Mari Windermere) says…
According to the Gardner paper earlier this summer, Olathe residents pay $18.50 a month for waste, recycling and yard waste.
I'm not sure if that is a base rate or what, but it gives you some idea.
Stain (anonymous) says…
Charging by volume will cause some people to let their trash stack up, or dump it into another person's dumpster, or dump it out in the open.
Deffenbaugh has a reputation for very poor service in Kansas City. There are many complaints. Google it.
1029 (anonymous) says…
With a little training, the common house dog will eat all your trash. I don't use recycling or city services. I regret that I don't support del monte and the world's only producer of kibbles and bits, but my dogs are on a total trash diet and they love it.
hear_me (anonymous) says…
Why not take individual responsibility for our trash? Folks with high volume should pay more.
Paying by the can is not a new concept. Other cities have been doing this for a long time. They either require standard can sizes or provide cans. There are choices of size.
How about charging for trash, but not charging for recycling?