Pay As You Throw

[Lakesrider]

Fully agree on the junk mail issue. It is ridiculous. Packaging is another issue. Most of my home trash is simply packaging. Such a waste of time and material just to get thrown away.
I live in Moultonborough as well and deal with the Dump police every Saturday. But I have a new found respect for those guys there. The weather was horrible when I went last time and there they were dealing with Summer home owners. They get simply NO respect sometimes. I for one intend to be more polite when there.
Not certain if I should figure this out...but is PAYT cheaper than the time and gas it takes to go to the dump?

[DickR]

I don't view the folks at the M'boro facility as "dump police," to be dealt with. They have rules they have to enforce and deserve courtesy and respect. I wonder if the summer people, having to "take time out from vacation to go to the dump," are more surly because they aren't doing what they want to be doing.

I try to lump trips to the facility with other errands. From LI just to rte 25 takes a half hour for the round trip, not something to waste. Given time planning, I suspect that taking my stuff to the facility myself is cheaper than paying someone, private or town, to come get it.

[AB_Monterey]

I take all the postage paid return envelopes that come with the never-ending stream of credit card offers and stuff them with the junk mail (after I remove the address). I figure I'm doing my part to keep the USPS from losing even more money.

Tucking it to the credit card company is yet another added benefit.

[Argie's Wife]

(Slightly...)

Not to derail this but...

OK, you're sending your junk mail back to the sender...

The mail gets picked up by your mailman in his truck. (<--burns gas)
He puts it in mail sorting machine to sort it. (<--uses electricity)
From there, it goes onto a truck to go to a hub. (<-- burns gas)
The hub is next to an airport, so the mail goes onto a plane. (<--burns fuel)
From the plane, the mail goes to another hub for sorting.(<--uses electricity)
After it's sorted, it goes onto a truck to go to the post office. (<--burns gas)
At the post office, it goes into a sorting machine. (<-- uses electricity)
And from there, it goes into mail bag and onto a truck. (<--burns gas)

So the mail goes back to the sender, who can't resend or use it and so they put it in the paper recycling bin (hopefully).

Tell me again how this is "green" or saves you money or ??? what?

You're not really sticking it to the sender - you're sticking it to the US Postal Service, when you consider it. Who pays for that? The consumer (us!)....

So simply write the mailing brokers (there's only 4 and I believe most accept emails) - and ask to have your name taken off the third class (junk mail) lists.

Or...

Use that junk mail to start your next bonfire...
Give it to the kids to cut out the pictures...
Throw it in your own recycling bin...
Toss it into the mulcher...
Line your bird cage with it...

Y'all are Yankees - be resourceful!

[AB_Monterey]

Originally Posted by Argie's Wife

(Slightly...)

Not to derail this but...

OK, you're sending your junk mail back to the sender...

The mail gets picked up by your mailman in his truck. (<--burns gas)
He puts it in mail sorting machine to sort it. (<--uses electricity)
From there, it goes onto a truck to go to a hub. (<-- burns gas)
The hub is next to an airport, so the mail goes onto a plane. (<--burns fuel)
From the plane, the mail goes to another hub for sorting.(<--uses electricity)
After it's sorted, it goes onto a truck to go to the post office. (<--burns gas)
At the post office, it goes into a sorting machine. (<-- uses electricity)
And from there, it goes into mail bag and onto a truck. (<--burns gas)

So the mail goes back to the sender, who can't resend or use it and so they put it in the paper recycling bin (hopefully).

Tell me again how this is "green" or saves you money or ??? what?

You're not really sticking it to the sender - you're sticking it to the US Postal Service, when you consider it. Who pays for that? The consumer (us!)....

So simply write the mailing brokers (there's only 4 and I believe most accept emails) - and ask to have your name taken off the third class (junk mail) lists.

Or...

Use that junk mail to start your next bonfire...
Give it to the kids to cut out the pictures...
Throw it in your own recycling bin...
Toss it into the mulcher...
Line your bird cage with it...

Y'all are Yankees - be resourceful!

I drop it in the box at the post office when I go to the gym every day. However, our mail carrier drives by our house every day anyway.

The rest is noise. The postal service is paid for their services by the credit card company unless you're saying that they lose money on each and every letter mailed?

If that's the case, don't mail anything, ever. The post office will be swimming in cash in no time.

Oh, and I am well aware of the opt out options for the credit card offers. But since I've got way too much time on my hands....

[This'nThat]

Originally Posted by Argie's Wife

OK, you're sending your junk mail back to the sender...

Here's the real reason (just to finish off your list):

• The mail gets picked up by your mailman in his truck. (<--burns gas)
• He puts it in mail sorting machine to sort it. (<--uses electricity)
• From there, it goes onto a truck to go to a hub. (<-- burns gas)
• The hub is next to an airport, so the mail goes onto a plane. (<--burns fuel)
• From the plane, the mail goes to another hub for sorting.(<--uses electricity)
• After it's sorted, it goes onto a truck to go to the post office. (<--burns gas)
• At the post office, it goes into a sorting machine. (<-- uses electricity)
• And from there, it goes into mail bag and onto a truck. (<--burns gas)
• So the mail goes back to the sender, who not only has to pay the postage, but he has go through the same time-wasting ordeal that I encounter -- He has to expend labor to open it up, read it, and since it's worthless to him, he can't resend or use it -- PRICELESS!

[boat_guy64]

I worked for a company in Chelmsford, MA when they moved to PAYT. Our dumpsters immediately overflowed. We put locks on them and people just threw trash on them and around them. Security cameras were installed. It still didn't stop. People parked around the side of the building that wasn't ours and ran the trash around the building or just threw it around the corner. It was a total mess. Some people left things with their name on them in the trash and the police got to rip through the garbage to try to find it. Honestly, they just didn't bother after a while. So, it cost everyone a lot of time and money except the people that decided they weren't going to pay.

[Winnisquamguy]

Originally Posted by This'nThat

Here's the real reason (just to finish off your list):

• The mail gets picked up by your mailman in his truck. (<--burns gas)
• He puts it in mail sorting machine to sort it. (<--uses electricity)
• From there, it goes onto a truck to go to a hub. (<-- burns gas)
• The hub is next to an airport, so the mail goes onto a plane. (<--burns fuel)
• From the plane, the mail goes to another hub for sorting.(<--uses electricity)
• After it's sorted, it goes onto a truck to go to the post office. (<--burns gas)
• At the post office, it goes into a sorting machine. (<-- uses electricity)
• And from there, it goes into mail bag and onto a truck. (<--burns gas)
• So the mail goes back to the sender, who not only has to pay the postage, but he has go through the same time-wasting ordeal that I encounter -- He has to expend labor to open it up, read it, and since it's worthless to him, he can't resend or use it -- PRICELESS!

A few years ago Andy Rooney talked about this and that's what he would do, send the junk with prepaid postage on it back to the sender. I will admit I have done it a few times

[BroadHopper]

The only guy I know that can make sense of the chaos today.

I wish he had run for president.

[fatnoah]

When I lived in Worcester, the bags for PAYT were only 50 cents apiece. They were so valuable that we still used regular garbage bags for our refuse and then put those inside the PAYT bags. That prevented costly rips and ensured we'd get the most for our dollar.

I now live in Melrose, MA and we pay $50 per quarter for trash pickup. It's a separate line item on our water/sewer bill from the town and perfectly reasonable.

Another option for towns is to go the Winchester, MA route which has no municipal trash collection. People have to pay a private hauler to take the trash or pay the pay the $190 annual fee for the privilege of schlepping it themselves to the town transfer station.

[Winnisquamguy]

Originally Posted by fatnoah

Another option for towns is to go the Winchester, MA route which has no municipal trash collection. People have to pay a private hauler to take the trash or pay the pay the $190 annual fee for the privilege of schlepping it themselves to the town transfer station.

In Sanbornton you have to pay for bags well now they're stickers but they are going back to bags. 20 bags cost $12.50 now you get 5 stickers for $6.25 and then we get Jerry's Trucking to come pick up the bags is another $6.00 per week or $300.00 per year. With Jerry's there is no recycling everything goes in the bags.If you have an extra 3 hrs on a Saturday then you could save the $300.00 per year.My time is to valuable to me so we have him pick it up. I called Bestway where you don't need to use the bags but it was $575.00 per year. So total cost is about $375.00 per year for Sanbornton residents.

[dt5150]

laconia is gonna tax us right outta town. we've been seriously considering selling and buying in another local town with better/lower tax rates. as it is, we pay over 7k a year in property taxes and we don't have city water or sewer, or even a paved road. the only thing we get from the city is trash pick up, they don't even plow to the end of my road, i do it myself. if they go to the barney bags, i'm gonna be some pissed off. i'll burn most of my trash and make smores.

[Island Girl]

Here in MA we have trash stickers that are noe $2.50 each. This way you can use the super duper contractor bags. Each bag is not supposed to be over 25lbs. They will take heavier bags as long as you don't abuse it. Once I cleaned out my cellar and put out 19 bags. They took they all. I did leave a nice note and three huge bags of M and Ms for their trouble. They alway take what I put out even a few extra empty boxes.

I like the sticker idea over the trash bag idea ... no worries over ripped usless bags.

IG