There’s a story behind every question I’ve been asked either in-person, by snail mail or email. If any of these questions surprise you, then that’s good because there are plenty more! Throughout 2021, I will continue to answer your burning questions through this blog. If you don’t see the answer to your question, please let us know! I’ll do my best to give you the most accurate response I can and hopefully make you smile all at the same time.

Can I leave my old toilet by the side of the road and expect the City to pick it up?

Yes! If you have called it in for a scheduled Large Item Pick Up, the City will absolutely pick it up on Friday. But don’t trigger your neighbors’ potty mouth each time they drive by! Nobody wants to see that. The Sanitation Department will remove appliances, mattresses, small furniture and more when scheduled. There will be a $5 to $10 charge per item that gets added to your next utility bill. To sum this answer up, don’t encourage your neighbors to have a potty mouth!

If my recycling bin gets busted up, do I put it in the trash or will the City recycle it?

Oh, the irony! I thought I knew the answer but had to check in with staff. Turns out, in the past, staff had been told to have customers put the old recycling bin in the trash cart. However, with our new cart vendors, these bins can actually be recycled. Just request a new recycling bin from Latham Home Sanitation.  However, the recycling of the old bin is handled by the City.  Please contact Customer Service at 678.407.6675 to request a pick up for the old bin.

There is a lot of juice coming out of the trash truck onto my street. Can the City stop this?

Your wish is our command!  The City just purchased all new residential garbage trucks with solid seals and procedures in place to clean the seals. This will make sure the trash juice ends up in the landfill and not on the street in front of your home! Money well spent indeed.

Can I quit using the trash bin the City provided and just put my bagged trash by the curb?

I hate to tell you this, but the answer is no. I have gotten many complaints since the City provided trash carts to all sanitation customers (without additional charge), that you can no longer put trashed bags on the curb. I understand this means customers have to now go back out a second time to return the cart to your house, but just like Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation said, it keeps odors in and critters from “nosing through the trash”.  When trash is strewn all over the street, it creates an additional expense for the City. Carts ultimately allow more efficient collection by our sanitation crews and increase their safety. We also appreciate you taking your cart back to your house. 

I have heard that pizza boxes cannot be recycled. Is that true?

In the spirit of Seinfeld’s “No Soup for You!”, if there is any grease or food residue, etc. on the cardboard, then “No Recycle for You!!”.  Just put pizza boxes in the trash, and that will save us all a lot of money.

Is it true that the City comes into neighborhoods with large roll off trash trailers so we can clean out our basements and backyards filled with junk?

Yes! Can you believe this?! The City will actually come and get rid of your junk!! Where else can you live where a City does this? The Staff is working on a schedule, so please contact the Sanitation Department to for this service.

Since the City picks up bagged grass clippings and tree and bush cuttings, am I able to put my landscape company’s yard waste at the curb each week?

If you are in the landscaping business, you know the rules and the City will not subsidize you! I might want to turn the question around and ask if you are ok with paying for your competitor’s cost to remove yard waste. What shall you say?  I think I know the answer – Heck no!  So, there you go – you have your answer.

The City picks up downed trees as long as I put them at the curb, right?

The City will pick up downed trees that you, not a commercial company, cuts down as long as they are cut into lengths of three feet or less. So, if you want to be Paul Bunyan, there will be a charge. Check in with the City staff on this before swinging the ax. 

I was wondering if any dogs or cats hiding under the leaves that are blown to the curb for pickup have ever been vacuumed away.

At a City Event, where the Streets & Sanitation Department was showing off their machinery for the public, my granddaughter was able to stand under the vacuum hose of the leaf machine and her long hair went straight up! Her 7-year-old body did not. Having said all of this, please do not hide small animals or divorced spouses under the leaves. The City’s team knows how to stop the suction vortex for those who wish to behave in the worst way.

The trash carts are just not big enough. I need another one.

Time to recycle!  Our trash carts handle 95 gallons of trash. Previously, the City only required 30-gallon trash cans. So, if you are three times trashier than the average citizen, you might try recycling more because the City charges an additional $20 per month for an additional trash cart.  However, if you are still interested in requesting an extra cart, you can find that information here.

Stay tuned for my next blog.  You never know what I’ll be asked . . .