10/5/09
This morning was kind of rushed. This takes a story
At the customer service station in our local grocery, you can purchase some Waste Management garbage bags. I forget how much they are - maybe $1.50 or $2 each, but you have to buy a roll of them, so it cost about $12 or $15. Really, I don't know because dh bought them and didn't get a receipt.
Anyway, the idea is that you use these 50# WM bags and you don't have to pay for a container and monthly service. You just contact the 800 number provided with the roll of bags and they come pick up the garbage at no other charge. To have a container delivered is $30 and then they charge $30 per month for garbage pick up, so we thought we would try this bag thing instead to save money.
I will say that this whole garbage thing just makes me crazy. At the farm we recycled and composted everything we could. Then about once a quarter, we would have some "stuff" that dh would burn with any tree limbs or branches found on the property. I think the bit of garbage that didn't fit one of these categories was small, because it took us two or three months to fill a large lawn and leaf trash bag.
I think the neighbors here burn their trash, as none of them appear to have compost areas, and none have garbage picked up. As I have mentioned before, our landlord doesn't want a compost pile on this property, and he wants the burn pit swept out with a rake and shovel when it is used. I think this must be a new rule, because the burn pit is filled with junk from the prior tenants. The landlord said he would clean it out when he comes to clean up the downed trees and limbs, so it hasnt happened yet.
We have been here a month and a half, and have filled two WM bags. A couple weeks ago, I called the 800 number and was told Monday is our pick up day and 4am is our pick up time. So last Sunday night we put the bags out front. But they werent picked up at all. So we call and were told they forgot to put us on the schedule because they couldnt find our street on their maps. Huh?! I know it is small (3 houses on a dead end lane), but they found it well enough to tell me the pick up day *and* time by our street name.
So this time they tell us our pick up day and time is Monday at 8am. We are psyched! Our second bag is now *very* full instead of *just* full.
This morning dh is getting ready to take the garbage from the shed to the street when we can tell from the loud beeping noises that here comes the WM truck! It is 5:30am!
The truck passes the house (we are the second to last house on a dead end street), then realizing he cant go forward, starts backing up and passes the house again. I hear dh yelling at the driver.
I look out the dining room window to see dh running with the two full bags towards the truck. This is all happening in the dark, because only our small porch light is on; no other lights are lit on our street. Even the WM truck lights are off. DH is wearing his dark blue scrubs, and he is running in the dark after the garbage truck, hoping he doesnt fall over something. The driver pulls forward again and stops the truck. DH says, wow, you are early!. The driver tells dh he isnt early, he was told our pick up time is 5:30am!
One is never too old to learn a new skill. 
