New County Trash Bins

Here is an interesting scenario I thought you all might like.

In many of the surrounding neighborhoods (ignoring MRTA, of course ;)), there are restrictions that require trash and recycling bins to be placed out of sight. Many homeowners had no problem storing their containers inside their garage or behind their car ports.

Recently the county issued new larger trash and recycling bins and changed pickup to once a week. Many of the homeowners have found the size to be rather large and too big for their traditional storage areas and the one pick up means keeping trash longer making storage inside stinky and a potential attraction for unwanted guests.

I have seen these bins in larger garages no problem but they do take up a cosiderable amount of space in our tiny garages (our garages can barely fit an SUV , crossover, or even a small Toyota.)

Many of the homeowners are complaining and saying they will keep their bins outside and are demanding the associations change their restrictions. The HOAS haven't taken up this issue yet.

So... what are your opinions? Proposed actions?

I advised my neighbors in their subdivisions that if they really wanted a change they needed to get involved and push for a new restriction allowing the larger bins. I know there are some homeowners who do not like trash bins visible (I was once cited for making a spot on the side of my house behind a lattice). I could imagine this getting ugly if a board decides to go after homeowners and the homeowners remain apathetic.

We have used similar receptacles for many years. Two 96-gallon barrels on wheels; blue for recycling and green for garbage. Most communities in the Phoenix metropolitan area have adopted them as have many rural areas. A truck can dump one household's trash in about 10 seconds. (I timed them.) And the crew consists of a single driver who almost never has to get out of the cab.

I recall that recently one of the suburban cities enacted an ordinance that effectively overrides any HOA restrictions about when containers may be put out or where they may be stored. Your county may need to do the same if it has not already done so.

Once-a-week pickup can be smelly in the summer. I issued an edict to my wife that she may serve fish only on Wednesday or Thursday evening because the trash is picked up only on Friday morning.

Our community had a similar situation. This fall, the city distributed new trash bins - the 96-gallon ones on wheels that can be emptied by an arm that comes out of the truck. Everyone on my street has to use them (the rest of the community puts out their trash in the dumpsters), but our street has 1 car garages that are too small for a car (or truck, or SUV) and the trash bin. However, our CCRs state trash bins have to be stored out of sight until trash pickup day. We also have a few people who converted their garage to a room and probably don't have anywhere to store it

(wonder if they realize they probably dropped their property value by getting rid of the garage? oh well, another story for another day...)

Anyhoo, the main issue is preventing litter and vermin, so I suggested to the board that people be allowed to store the bins on their patios or next to their garages (or converted rooms) under the following standards:

You must keep the cover closed at all times - do not store garbage on top of or around the bin
Write down the ID number of your bin so you don't pick up your neighbor's bin when returning it (or write the house number on the bin)
Rinse out your bin periodically to cut down on smells
Do not put loose trash in the bins - you must use garbage bags
Retrieve your bins within 8-12 hours after pickup and DO NOT store them in the common areas (e.g. sidewalks, driveways, guest parking, etc.
When appropriate, break down your trash (e.g. cardboard boxes) so they'll fit inside your bin

All of these are rehashes of the city's rules regarding the use of the new bins and so far, it seems to be working. You may want to check with your city or county to see what their requirements are and adopt them as the new community rules. You could also suggest people buy a portable screen to hide them from view or the association can purchase them to keep the look uniform (charge a replacement fee if the screens are lost, stolen or damaged)

I believe some of the original restrictions state they must be kept behind the home. That makes things difficult with these bins. Some have kept them in their garage. My recommendation would be allow them on the side of the properties.

I don't care where they are stored but I know some of the boards are run by the older folks in the neighborhood that have been doing it their way for decades and don't want to change. This conflicts with a lot of the newer homeowners who don't care (but don't want to get involved).

I just thought this matter was interesting and curious how anyone else dealt with it. When advising my neighbors I advised them to rewrite their restrictions to be less specific. Our 30 year old covenants are pretty outdated as they are and those neighborhoods who haven't hit MRTA yet could use a nice rewrite and some loosening up of some things.

I used to keep my bins inside until I had a couple rats come into my garage to hang out. Also another time I tossed a bag and had a huge fly swarm. Not to mention the stink. I kept them on the side behind a large flowering bush. If you stood in front of my home you would never see them. That is when I added a lattice to hide from seeing them if you walked up from tell side. I then got cited and a demand letter to pay thousands in legal fees. I was smart and had a lawyer do a title but many o f my neighbors will just pay a fine and do nothing - and the ones that complain will probably do something stupid.

I have only lived in homes with once a week garbage service but in the summer months the garbage can get pretty smelly. We store our trash can in the garage. One thing I do is put things like cant elope and watermelon rinds in those plastic bags you get at the stores and throw it in the freezer. Then on garbage days, I throw the bags in the trash can. It does help with the smell. It works for just about anything that tends to get stinky after a day or two in a closed up, hot garage.

We just went from 2 days a week to 1 also. Since moving to FL we are very careful of what we throw out in the trash. I replaced our run-of-the-mill contractor-grade garbage disposal with a better unit and we use it a lot. Leftover meat, fat and gristle we actually put in ziploc bags before throwing it in the trash. It adds some expense to our overall cost of eating but it's a drop in the bucket, really, considering how much more expensive food is here than it was in NY. And it keeps the critters at bay. The new cans are good for that, too. The raccoons and assorted other wildlife - we also have the occasional coyote and bobcat prowling around - used to knock our old can over and make a mess so we resorted to not putting the garbage out until the morning of pickup. The new carts are animal resistant because they're so bulky and heavy they're almost impossible to knock over. I guess a bear wouldn't have too much trouble with them but luckily we don't have any in the immediate area.

Speaking of which, the different size alternative carts are being exchanged here on Wednesday as I just found out. That should be a cluster eff since we were originally told January and 2 days notice isn't going to be enough for some of the folks here who are a bit slow on the uptake.