Just me and my husband, usually I take it out to the end of the driveway, hubby has trouble walking.....I put it out Wednesday evening for Thursday pickup, every time I look around it's Wednesday again, my life seems like an endless stream of Wednesdays....

DS, our live-in helper, does all of that (and more!). We have three (actually 4) cans for garbage going to the landfill, recycling and yard debris (2 cans). Our city composts yard stuff and one can go collect it when needed. Our city also is a "tree city" and collects tons of leaves in the fall. Boy Scouts are collecting Christmas trees right now, for water projects and recycling.

It was DD's job in HS, but since then it has been DH. Funny family joke about taking out the trash. During DD's freshman year in college, DH had minor surgery and was on a certain pain medication that made him grumpy. DD came home for the holiday and a few days later, DH fussed at DD for not taking out the trash the prior week. "But Dad I was at school last week!" Now that she lives 1000 miles away, DH always jokes with her that he had to take out the trash because she didn't do it. Since then DH has had a few more minor surgeries, including a knee replacement, and DD and I both tell the doctor not to prescribe that particular medication.

I take out the trash cans and bring them back in as DH won't do it any more... If I want it done, I do it... we no longer get plastic bags from the stores .

We don't have curb-side pickup so my DH takes the trash on his way to work, once or twice a week.

One of the great parts of having a gardener who does half the houses on the block is that he's here several days per week. He puts out the bins and brings them back. I love that!

I did it for 38 years. Collecting all house garbage and taking the cans, 1-4 depending on whether it's just trash and/or recycle can and/or 2 green waste cans, down the 450ft driveway the night before. Pickup is 6AM, middle of the week. Of course the next day I had to bring them back up. Now that DH is retired, he does it.

I do. I gather it and place it at the curb every Friday. I also visit Liz & Larry across the street, both disabled seniors, and take their can to the curb and return it for them. On Monday I take out my daughter's trash and recyclables. I'm busy with trash. My own and others.

My husband always does. Then he wheels both the garbage and recycling bins to the back alley Wednesday nights for pick up on Thursday morning.

We both do. We live in the country and have weekly pickup we pay for. For two weeks they didn't stop for some reason. The first week they were too far down the route to come back. The second week we were kind of watching. Sure enough they didn't stop again. I called again. They came back and picked it up. When my husband went down to bring the can up to the house there was one of the nice big cans with a note saying we could use this can as long as we live here. They were sorry for missing us. This can has a $20.00 a month fee. I don't know what we would do without trash pickup!!

Since I am the only living here....I have that honor. If it is extremely cold or bad, sometimes I put the bags in my car and back the car out to the street and throw them out at the end of the drive.

The same person who mows the yard, rakes the leaves, shovels the snow, cleans the windows, vacuums and cleans the bathrooms. Moi!

Wife empties all the cans, puts he smaller bags into one large bag and I carry out the one large bag to the trash can.

Every morning "he" scoops the cat box, puts it in the kitchen can and takes that bag to work with him. Once a week he empties all the cans in the house. On a job site side job I do ALL the clean up, load it to the truck and we both transfer it to the roll off.

We both put the trash and recycling out in the garage. Husband usually takes it all out to the road for weekly pickup. When I do it, he thanks me because he considers it his responsibility.

I've never taken it out, he goes to recycling twice a week as the sticker is on his car.

I like to take out both trash and recycling, I always feel lighter after getting it out to the curb. We have a lot more recycling than trash, three bins.

Hubby always thanks me and I thank him when I wake up on trash/recycling day and he's taken everything out the night before. I'm not sure why my city has twice weekly pickup since we don't need it.

Like Violetwest, I get the privilege to take it out. Since I'm in a wheelchair, my sweet neighbor helps me sometime to bring it in. Actually, my power wheelchair gives me a boost to push the trashcan in and out; so, it's really no big deal for me to do it.

I'm the only one home on bin nights, so I do it. Generally I go through and empty all the household bins and change the litter tray the night before, then put it all out for collection. When DH is home on the weekends, whoever caves in first when the kitchen bin is full takes it out to the outside bin- I rarely cave in ;-)

Our main bin is emptied weekly and our recyclables bin on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month. Every time I think my neighbour has finally got a handle on whether it's recycling bin night or not, he shows me I was wrong and puts the bin out on the wrong night :-) I've told him numerous times how it works (and this has been going on for at least 5 years now) but when there's a 5th Wednesday in a month he gets all confused...

Now that DH is disabled, I get the honors. We don't have trash pick-up because we live in the boonies. So I have to transport it to the local dump (3 miles away). I do it about once a week...in between, the trash bags are in the garage. Not a perfect system, but it works OK for me.

My hubby carries our household trash outside to the garbage container. Since we are both handicapped, I pay extra to have the driver of the garbage truck come in our long driveway and take the container out to the road to the truck for us.

Hubby does the honor. I just watch him. LOL

Me. If only I could train the cat to drag the trash can out to the road.

I didn't think curbside pick up was that common but it seems like many have it.

I'm glad I don't have to store my trash until pick up. We have a dumpster and as soon as a bag is full, we carry it out. We are both equally likely to take out the trash and my kids love to help as well.

I'd like our small city (with few large families) to drop twice-a-week garbage pickups. At our former home the city provided weekly pickup; a second weekly pickup was available for a charge. Both communities have garbage pickup at the house; recycling is curb-side. The recycling truck has an automated 'arm' to lift and dump the bin.

It would take the two of us a month to *fill* our medium size garbage can, although we put it out weekly. We put out the mammoth recycling bin alternate weeks. Both have wheels.

DH removes garbage and recycling from the kitchen pull-out as needed. He puts out the garbage and recycling by 7 a.m. He returns the empties to the garage. We've been married 51 years. These were my jobs before DH retired.

Jim -- I also mowed the lawn, raked the leaves, shoveled the snow, washed the windows did all the cleaning. Now we hire out the lawn, leaves, plowing and windows, and DH helps with cleaning chores.

Well, people here in Southern California haven't been listening to the news. It was announced yesterday that they shouldn't put out their trash cans in watercourse areas because of the rain. Today's news shows parades of trash bins (garbage, green, recycle (and manure in horse neighborhoods)) floating on down the streets.

I live alone, so it's normally me. It's a steep driveway so I leave those large cans down by the road, and walk the bags to them. Before the automatic arm trucks came along, I'd roll the (smaller) cans up and down. But I'm getting older and those things are bigger.

When I move, there will be a transfer station. I get to drive my trash to it.

PS: I used to mow and rake the leaves but the last ten years I've hired a service (actually several trees don't drop until after the lawn guys finish for the season, so I do rake those). My neighbor has a mini snow plow and helps me with my driveway when possible -- otherwise I'm out there shoveling by hand. I shovel the walk to the front door by hand.

Final note -- I'm still on crutches at the moment so 1) my home health care aide is doing the trash/recyclable drop off at the bottom of the driveway 2) I still have to take care of my portion of lawn raking -- at this point it will be spring, 3) thank all the powers that be, so far there's only been one snow fall -- KNOCK on WOOD!

my husband takes care of it the trash, in doors and out though we will often bag it up and get it ready together...we're a team after all. :c)

Even though there are 5 people living in my house, only the 2 adult females ever take it out. And it's mostly me...

I gather all the trash/recycle and take the 3 carts to the street. DH brings the empty carts back in. Hmmm....somehow he gets the better end of the deal lol

I take out the trash. If I don't do it, it does not get done. That may seem one sided, but there is a good reason why that job always falls in my lap. I am the most mobile of we two. Wifey has a very bad ankle. Navigating stairs and walking is a chore. We live in a 2-story and trash collection involves going from basement to second floor and then toting the load to the end of the driveway.

no backup here, I have to do everything :^(

Same as JoAnn. I do it all. Driveway is short and the can has wheels, so it's no biggie. I don't generate a lot of trash.

Mostly me, when DH offers I still hand it to him. We burn ours so it is a daily chore here, makes it easier.

Our city went to the green bin program a few years ago. When recycling was invented, everyone jumped on it, but the green bin is a much tougher sell. People are using so many excuses not to do it, and less than half of the people do it.

Starting in 2017 garbage pickup is going to be reduced to every two weeks, except for the green bin and recycling which will be weekly. This is to force people to use the green bin.

Apartment bldgs are exempt from using the green bin, and the bins are free to residents. Since we live in a small apt bldg (3-unit triplex) we went and got a couple of bins and we, and one other tenant use them religiously.

Hubby does it for our house and our daughter's. I bring the cans in if he hasn't done it already.

I do it. Not a big deal. At least I know it's done! Our trash just went to once a week from twice a week and the county provided big rolling carts for trash and recycling. It's supposed to save money, but 2 -95 gallon carts per household plus a fleet of new trucks with arms costs a lot. They claim recycling will be increased. So far I don't see it. I drive thru 3 fife rent subdivisions taking my son to school and many people just put out one trash can, no recycling. I guess they figure everything can fit in one so they don't bother. Irks me!

We have both trash and mixed recycling. Both of us take out the kitchen trash/recycling on an as needed basis. Sometimes 2 or 3 times a day. I don't like "storing" refuse in my kitchen. I use small plastic grocery bags in a holder under my sink. It's full or has organics, out it goes.

On garbage night DH goes and gathers the dry trash from the other rooms in the house. He takes the carts to the curb in the morning when he leaves for work since we have recycling thieves prowling our neighborhood.

Recycling thieves? But in any case, if you've thrown it away, why does it matter if someone steals it or if the trash company takes it away? I'm not sure I get it.

Curbside pilfering of recyclables is illegal in CA. The practice can increase garbage collection rates because the collection company will recoup less of their costs to recycle. The higher $ return items, that are targeted by thieves, help the waste collection companies pay for the recycling of materials that cost more to process than they return financially.

There are also target amounts set for the % of waste in the state that needs to be recycled, rather than ending up in a landfill. Theft affects the % of materials that the company can recycle, so it makes it much more difficult for them to meet those recycling percentages.*

On top of that, some thieves just tip over the recycle bin, spilling the contents into the street, take what they want, and leave the mess.

---------------------------------

*ETA I looked it up. The target for CA is 75 percent recycling, composting or source reduction of solid waste by 2020.

Here, there is pilfering of garbage, not recycling, so I have to put out the trash after daylight on the day it is to be collected.

I don't mind if people take old furniture or other stuff I put out for collection, but I don't like when they go through the garbage and leave stuff all over.

Anyone who puts out stoves, fridges, bbq's or anything metal gets snapped up immediately. People drive around looking for metal to take to the depot for cash. There are people who practically make a living doing this, and they advertise that they will pick up your unwanted appliances.

Of course, this makes a lot less for the city to earn, and no one wants to take it to the dump as there is a dumping fee. Why would anyone pay to dispose of their items when people scramble for it for free?

Going thru the recycling looking for wine bottles is common.

Years ago when I started making my own liquid detergent, I went around the neighbourhood picking up empty laundry jugs. Several people were looking for them, to store their liquid detergent. I also took glass jars often, for storing dry goods.

If I don't take out the trash here - it doesn't get taken out.

Hey! Maybe I should go out scouting for a wife!

In our city nearby, as where Jasdip lives, picking material from garbage and recycling boxes is illegal: a number used to like to do it, largely for pop and beer cans, as metal was easy to handle, paid better and was less messy than dealing with paper, and the city retrieved some funds from the metal dealers to help cover the recycling and garbage costs.

In the county we've had plastic tubs, about two feet long and a little over a foot high and wide for recycling for some time. I've used them, rarely, for plastics that were numbered, thus recyclable. I bundled some newspapers and put them out a few times, until a few years ago, but recently the Boy Scout group at church have been taking paper for recycling, so it goes there. Compostable stuff from the kitchen gets put on to the garden. Metals are collected and sold. O j picks up pop and beer cans and liquor bottles along the roadside: 32 pop cans make a pound, was 50 cents, then 70, recently under 50 again, sold to the metal recyclers: doesn't pay for the extra gas. Beer cans deposit is 10 cents, liquor/wine bottles 20 cents, refundable at the beer store.

For garbage I provided my own round plastic garbage tubs, about three feet high, with lids. The garbage, of which there isn't much, hardly ever went to the road, as my landlord, a sod farmer, burns various materials from time to time and his and my household non-compostable waste gets included.

Last summer the county, via the waste company, provided a large tub on rollers, with hinged lid for recyclable material, without a fee. They offered three sizes of similar bins on rollers for garbage, with hinged lids, and rods on the front, for the garbage truck to pick up, with annual fee of $100., something over $200. and $370., added to our land tax.

They haven't had to stop the truck at the end of our lane thus far, so are getting a nice subsidy from the county for providing nil service to us for the last seven months of last year. They'd done that in earlier years, through our taxes, but without a separate fee related to that service.

I should have collected more of the recyclables and taken it to the road prior to snowfall, as the wheels won't be of much use, hauling it through the snow, till spring. But, then - the tub won't be full by spring, so the extra undesirable work for old joyful, being non-existent ... won't be noticeable, i.e., a matter of concern.

Please ... buy less stuff, and with less packaging, as both add cost to our environment for providing resources and for manufacturing, hauling, selling ... and then for hauling and disposing of the no-longer-useful/wanted stuff !

(I live within two miles of the "landfill" read "dump" recently bought by Canada's largest city for something like 220 million ... when there was fuss being raised in the U.S. for them paying a bunch of garbage trucks to haul theirs over the border to help build a more-or-less mountain of their unwanted stuff somewhere near Detroit.)

ole joyful

Since we live in the country, we have to pay for our trash pick up and it is once a week. There is no recycle pick up available anywhere close. They do not provide the containers to put the trash in, there are some companies that do. They do not pick up large things like furniture or appliances. Have put a few large things out with a free sign and they get picked up right away by folks wanting whatever it is out there.

Sue

I'm officially amazed that a thread titled "Who Takes Out The Trash" has so many comments! Yet, it has been interesting, somehow.

My city provides one of those big wheeled units per household, plus a blue recycling bin. Both are picked up once a week. Glass items can't be put in the bins and I expect that most people just throw bottles and jars out, but we take them to the recycling area where they can be turned in.

I am kinda surprised that, unless I missed it, no one has mentioned composting. We don't collect grass clippings but let them fall where they can do the soil some good, leaves are chopped up with the mower and either raked into the lawn or in landscaped areas for mulch or added to the compost pile.

Veggie and fruit scraps are composted as is most of the paper stuff that comes into the house.

Most weeks, our entire big wheeled can is filled with one small, lonely, grocery store bag full of meat scraps, plastic wrappings, and other items that we can't put anywhere else. We still wheel it to the curb every week, especially in the warm temperatures.

The composting chores take about fifteen minutes a week. We both deal with the trash, recycling, and compost.

OJ mentioned. Maybe others too... I remember his though.

Rhizo, our city picks up green bins, for the city compost, which is then offered to residents for free.

I also do worm composting, does that count?

Well, as for composting, if a chicken will eat it it goes to them, then the chicken house is cleaned out and it goes on the garden. I do have piles of wood chips that we let rot and it either gets spread on the garden area or fill in some low spots in the yard. Son has his own tree trimming service so when I am low I ask for some more. Few leaves are raked, but we do live in a woods, just mow them up for the most part and let them be in the yard.

Sue

I started to include a paragraph about recycling in my previous post,
but since that wasn't the question, I talked my self out of it. We recycle,
compost, and feed meat scraps to the dog (I just spent a half-hour last
night stripping every bit of cartilage and sinew off chicken bones that
I'd simmered for stock. That dog does not know how lucky she is!)

We have to make an effort to recycle because our local
trash pickup doesn't recycle anything but cans. Although they've said it's
not necessary, I rinse and separate the
cans into a smaller plastic bag for them. I also save them all the used nails/screws/metals when
I've been working on a home improvement project.

The remaining
recycling is taken to a single-stream drop-off at a local parking lot--when I can get one of the kids to do take it. I organize it--they can
haul it off. I've heard that there are pickers that rummage through the
bags there.