The New Trash Pickup Rules Don’t Work
Three years ago, Watertown significantly changed the rules around trash pickup. Previously, we could get rid of most things easily by putting them out with the trash. Now, the system is to call Republic to schedule a pickup for bulky “burnables” such as old furniture, and they charge a variable amount per item determined by Republic based on size and shape. They won’t take them otherwise. Similarly, so-called “white goods” such as electronics and small appliances must also be scheduled with Republic, and mattresses need to be scheduled with yet another different service. On top of that there is a means-tested discount on pickup fees available to some subset of households if they provide sufficient documentation (for trash pickup??!?).
The system is complicated, poorly communicated, and does not work in practice. I tried to use it to dispose of a broken humidifier, and I wasn’t even able to get Republic on the phone, let alone schedule and pay for a pickup with them. Eventually, after several weeks of unsuccessfully attempting to schedule and pay for a white goods pickup, I complained to my City Councilor and then the City’s recycling guy just came to my house and took it. While I appreciate the service, this is not a system.
Illegal Dumping
The real system seems to be that everyone just dumps their junk. I have noticed a complete epidemic of illegal dumping in my neighborhood and across this city. Here’s a photo of the local spot people dump trash on the greenway:
Just four days later, another table, a toaster oven, and what look like some speakers had joined the coffee table, trash can, and mattress:
Similarly, I see junk all over our streets and parks. These two were taken on Mt. Auburn Street and at Sullivan Playground:
When the system for trash pickup doesn’t work, people have to choose between filling their house up with junk, or illegal dumping. Most people are good, and don’t want to litter and dump. But when that’s the only realistic way to get rid of trash, that’s what people seem to do. I’ve even heard that some people hire a private “junk removal” service, but then the junk removal services just do the illegal dumping instead.
Strict Rules With Zero Enforcement Leads to Bad Outcomes
When trying to get rid of junk, Watertowners are faced with a choice — spend a bunch of their limited time trying to get a hold of Republic Services, then if they manage to get a hold of anyone, pay a fee of an uncertain amount, and then hope that Republic manages to communicate to its drivers that they should go ahead and take this large item (but not any others from anyone else). Or, just take that stuff down the road and leave it out there, with zero hassle, zero fees, and basically zero risk of any punishment. With illegal dumping the clearly more effective, cheaper, and easier option, of course our beautiful city is full of trash.
Strict Rules With Zero Enforcement Makes Good People Feel Like Suckers
With the official system such a pain in the rear and illegal dumping so safe and effective, only honest and virtuous people would even bother with the official system. But a surefire way to make people feel like virtue and conscientiousness are not valued is to make it harder for them to do basic tasks like getting rid of trash while they watch their less-virtuous neighbors be rewarded for breaking the rules and making our community worse. This makes good people like me feel like suckers and undermines our desire to follow the rules in the future.
Watertown needs Trash Pickup Abundance Instead of an Abundance of Trash
Watertown should go back to the old system, where we pay taxes for trash pickup and then our trash gets picked up. It was simple and worked for everyone. I’m sure that the changes were intended to generate some benefits, either cost savings for the city, environmental benefits, or both. But the changes have not worked out well. We don’t benefit our environment by filling it with trash, and we don’t save money on trash pickup by shunting our trash to the Police Department via reports of illegal dumping. The City should simplify, simplify, simplify, so that basic city services “just work” instead of maintaining a complicated system where cheaters prosper and people trying to do the right thing feel like suckers.
Matt Lashof-Sullivan
Watertown Resident
Could not agree MORE.
We’ve all seen the junk dumped on the sidewalks—or read about it in the weekly crime log. It used to be rare; now it’s rampant. This is for the betterment of the planet?
Maybe we just need to be lectured harder.
Or maybe people (not honest people, but still people) know junk when they see it, and also recognize a deal when they see one. Dumping a sofa in front of someone else’s house gets the best of both deals.
We know why we changed the rules; now we know the consequences. No more lectures, please, just a decision: more garbage-strewn streets; or a return to a system that worked better. Unless the genie is out of the bottle, and Watertown’s streets are the new dumping ground for everyone. And beware of future rule changes that ignore human behavior.
Hi Josh,
You mentioned we know why we changed the rules. Do we? I don’t. Please enlighten me.
Something to do with landfills. Naturally, we should try to reduce, reuse, recycle—I shop curbsides all the time—but old living room sectionals don’t naturally fit in any of those categories. Or are too difficult to transport. Same with mattresses, another popularly dumped item. The town will pick up so-called white goods (kitchen and laundry appliances) if you pay for a sticker; can the town not also offer the service, at some cost, for other household goods? Even the most environmentally conscious household has to throw stuff away. Offer the service at a price that covers the expense. It may lessen the temptation for scofflaws to dump.
I would add that I suspect many folks are happy to pay for this service, but the service needs to be easy to use. If it isn’t, people might get frustrated and quit trying to use. The cost in ‘hours of spare time’ is very relevant to how much the system gets used, in addition to the dollar cost.
We’ve had to pay for the town to collect white goods (stoves, fridges, etc) for many years. Some day, it would be good if people took responsibility for the trash they produce. Maybe you are right in your complaints about enforcement and ease of use, but I think a little extra time to figure out how to get rid of trash might get people to think about all the trash they produce in the first place and where it goes when they no longer want it. Just keep doing the right thing, Matt, and don’t feel like a sucker because other people are too stupid or lazy to comply.
It certainly is easier when the town picks up everything. However, it is not environmentally correct or fiscally efficient. I don’t think.
I have had Republic pick up items several times and did not have a problem really getting them on the phone. The issue only is they need a week notice. Small electronics can be left at the recycling center itself. We at least have services such as Helpsy to pick up different items. It just takes a little more time on our part.
The one area that certainly can use a solution is getting rid of things like wood, tires, and furniture no longer usable; these are very difficult to dispose of.
That’s frustrating. I wonder if installing cameras at the greenway entrance would discourage illegal dumping.
Please send this letter to the city council. They are the ones that need to hear it.
We must distinguish between dumping and the time honored tradition of putting unwanted but useable items out on the street for others to take. In my time in Watertown I have seen some pretty nice furniture on the curb. The is reuse on a community scale and it keeps these items out of the trash stream and provides no cost items to those who can use them. It’s a worthwhile tradition in my neighborhood and it cuts down the shocking waste that prevails in our hyper consumer society.
One persona trash can be another persons treasure. I find it best to give things away before throwing it away. It will often seem like what you have is useless or unwanted but putting it on the free section of whatever social site you prefer. I se the free section of Craigslist but there are others.
On larger items that clearly no one will want, you can break it up into smaller pieces that will fit in with your trash. The bigger picture, from what I read above is a lack of clear information.
Maybe there can be some changes to the town website or the DPW’s website to help with that.
The changes were to comply with state law afaik which requires that mattresses, clothes and other goods must be recycled rather than thrown in the landfill, which are changes I agree with. We could have a better system for pickup though, maybe
1. Keep the recycling center open longer(hours are extremely limited right now and during the work day). Also have them take more goods like mattresses, white goods, electronics, etc. We could collect the fee there maybe
2. Allow mattresses/white goods to be put out on the normal collection days, but charge a fee for large items that have to be recycled.