It’s time to talk trash, but not gossip—actual trash, the kind that you wheel out once a week and think that’s the end of it. However, the truth is that your city has plenty of little rules about trash day that they don’t tell you about, and a lot of these could explain why garbage collectors skip your bin, or why your neighbor’s couch sat on the curb for three days. Let’s look at eleven trash day tips that your city keeps secret.
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Avoid Dumping Fireplace Ashes the Night Before
When you’re cleaning out the fireplace, you’re probably thinking of putting the ashes in the bin before bed—but wait. Even when they look cold, those things often stay hot for much longer than you’d realize, and some people have actually melted the bottom of their bin by doing so. Instead, you should leave them in a metal bucket outside for a few days, just to be safe, and once they’re truly cool, bag them up & throw them in.
Put Soft Trash at the Bottom to Prevent Sticking
Heavy bags usually suction themselves to the bottom of the bin, meaning that when you go to roll it out, half the trash will still be stuck in there. To avoid this, put something soft at the bottom, like old napkins or even a squashed cereal box, because this way, when the truck flips the bin, everything actually comes out. It’s quite easy to do, and honestly, a little satisfying.
Put Citrus Peels in the Bin
Trash bins in summer are brutal, and if yours smells like something you forgot in the back of the fridge, throw in some lemon or orange peels to make it smell better. The oils in the skin help with the smell—just remember that you don’t need to do much, simply save your peels in a freezer bag & toss them in on trash day. You’ll notice the difference, especially when you open the lid after a few hot days.
Freeze Meat Scraps Before Trash Day
Speaking of the freezer, if your trash day isn’t for a few days and you have meat scraps or bones, do yourself a favor and avoid putting them straight into the bin. You’re better off sealing them in a bag & freezing them, then dropping them in the trash the night before pickup. This way, there’s no stink and no flies, which is quite useful in the summer when the sun turns your bin into a slow cooker.
Use Cardboard as a Divider for Extra Bags
It’s annoying when you try to cram in a few extra trash bags, yet they all collapse into a heap—but there’s a fix for that. Grab a big flat piece of cardboard and slide it between the bags, as this will hold everything upright and give your bin a little structure. It stops stuff from moving around or tearing, which keeps the bin balanced. As such, it’s a lot easier for the truck to lift & empty without losing half the load.
Bagged Leaves Often Get Skipped
Once you’ve shoved that mountain of leaves into one giant bag and dragged it to the curb, you might feel proud of yourself—until the truck just leaves it sitting. It happens a lot, especially if the bag is too heavy or soaked from rain, so you should spread the load across a few lighter bags. Most trucks have a weight limit for safety, and soggy paper bags fall apart mid-lift, meaning that if your bags break or spill, the crew usually won’t clean them up. Light bags give you better odds.
Flattening Boxes the Wrong Way Delays Pickups
Flattening your cardboard isn’t the problem, but rather, it’s how you do it, because if you just throw a bunch of floppy, half-flattened boxes in a pile, the arm on the truck can’t grip them, and the driver doesn’t have time to restack your Amazon leftovers. Garbage collectors will move on from any boxes that fall apart or slip, so stack them flat & tie them with twine. It’s weird, but it works.
Large Item Pickups Are Limited Per Address
You might call to get that busted couch hauled away, and then later, your roommate calls about an old TV—but that’s still one house. Most cities don’t count by who calls, and instead, where it’s coming from, meaning that if the address has already hit the yearly limit, you’ll be charged for extra disposal. It doesn’t matter if you’re a tenant or the new owner because they’ll treat you the same, so always check your location’s pickup history if you’re not the first one living there.
Compostable Bags Might Not Be Accepted
Just because a bag says “compostable” doesn’t mean your city agrees, as some places only take certain brands, or only paper ones, while others ignore anything not on their official list. They don’t care if it came from a health food store and cost you $12—the best thing for you to do is just check the list instead of the label. Many cities only accept bags that break down fast enough in their specific composting process, even if other bags say ‘eco-friendly’ on the front.
Rainy Day Pickups Skip Over Open-Top Bins
When the rain is pouring and your trash bin is wide open, there’s a good chance the truck’s going to pretend it’s not there—they don’t want to deal with soggy trash water leaking all over the truck. Soaked trash is heavier, and in some cities, there’s an unwritten rule that bins have to be covered in wet weather. As such, you should put a tied bag over the top of any trash bins with a busted lid.
Put Crushed Cans and Bottles in First
Crush your plastic bottles & cans, then load them in first—start with the flattest items at the bottom and work your way up with the rest. Doing so gives you a lot more room and helps prevent the lid from popping open, which is particularly important since some cities fine you for lids that don’t close all the way. It also keeps lighter items from blowing away when the lid opens on a windy day.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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