If multiple companies provide service in an area, their prices will generally be lower. Customers with the lowest garbage bills tend to live in residential neighborhoods in a metropolitan area.Ĭompetition is another factor in how much you’ll pay. Excessive traffic could put you at the higher end of the pricing spectrum as well because it impacts how long it takes a truck to complete its route. On the other hand, don’t think you’re necessarily going to get a better deal living in a major city. This requires more fuel and more man hours. If you live in a rural area, you will probably pay more since providers have to drive further to reach your property. Regardless of how you are billed, expect to pay anywhere from $20 per month to $80 depending primarily on where you live. Most trash collection services charge customers on a monthly basis although some charge on a quarterly basis. (Prices can vary greatly depending on where you live.) What Does Monthly Service Cost A medium box that can hold up to 18 pounds of electronics for recycling costs $120 while a 10-yard dumpster for disposing of construction debris costs $611 for nine days. For example, a small bulb kit from Republic Services for disposing lightbulbs with mercury costs $91. You’ll usually have to schedule bulk and hazardous waste pickup for a fee.ĭisposal of these special items can be quite pricey. Some collection services allow customers to set out large junk items for bulk pickup at no charge on specified days, but most don’t. If recyclable and yard waste service is also available, they may be picked up on the same day or another designated day.

Most collection services pick up regular household garbage once a week on a designated day. Typically, areas with competing services have the lowest prices. Depending on where you live, you may even have a choice between multiple collection services. Other areas rely on providers like Waste Management or Republic Services. How Do Collection Services WorkĬities and larger towns often provide trash collection for their communities. Hazardous waste can be disposed of at specified drop-off locations, or you can arrange for pickup for a fee. Sharp items like syringes are also considered hazardous. Hazardous waste: These items contain materials that can be hazardous, including automotive fluids and products, batteries, electronics, fluorescent light bulbs, garden chemicals, pesticides and paint products. Others require a special pickup, sometimes for a fee. Some collection services have designated bulk pickup days for these large items at no additional charge. Junk: This is the bulky, heavy stuff that doesn’t fit in traditional garbage containers, such as a broken washing machine or barely-running freezer. Many collection services offer a separate yard waste pickup service for an additional fee, usually $5 to $10 per month. Yard Waste: Grass, leaves, plant trimmings and tree branches all qualify as yard waste. Most collection services do not charge an additional fee for recycling. In general, paper, newspapers, magazines, cardboard, soda cans, food cans, glass, certain plastics and cartons can be recycled. Recyclables: Items that can be recycled vary depending on where you live and which collection service you use. Usually, these items are tossed in bags, put in trash containers and collected on a weekly basis. Think pizza boxes, used dryer sheets, a broken ballpoint pen or a deflated basketball. Trash: This is the usual household garbage generated on a daily basis. How your trash is classified determines when it is picked up and whether there is an additional charge for picking it up. The contents of your kitchen garbage bag aren’t classified the same way as that college-era sofa you want out of your basement is. Here’s what you need to know to about your monthly garbage bill, extra charges you may incur for additional services and strategies to reduce what you pay. You’ll also pay more for special services such as the removal of unwanted appliances or hazardous waste. With few exceptions, most households hire a collection service and take their trash to the curb.įurthermore, the service costs to remove your trash depends greatly on where you live as well as the size of your containers, the local competition and other factors. And that trash-everything from junk mail to the empty bags from your last Target run-has to go somewhere. The average American produces 4.4 pounds of trash every day, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

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