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Thank you to everyone who chimed in with voices of reason. I think Parsec is right -- I've known plenty of people who have never left their own state and find it very scary to hear about any other ways of doing things and are very defensive about any suggestion that some things in their corner of the world are different from how they're done in other places.
It's good to hear there are many options for private trash pick up that don't sound like they are ridiculously priced and that plenty of people utilize.
This isn't going to be an easy move for us, so the more we know (i.e. the fewer surprises we have), the better.
While it seems gratuitously arduous or frugal to me, people tend to pride themselves on their "yankee" ethos. "On paper I am worth millions, but I got that way by saving on garbage pickup, heat, and darning my own sweaters. Now ask me about my Volvo 240 wagon with 250k miles on it."
You got it :nodding:
IMHO I don't think one can fully understand this mindset unless one's family has been here for a few generations AND has been born/bred here. People in other areas of the US may chuckle at it, but for those of us born and raised here, it's a no-brainer -- heck, I don't even think twice about my frugal practices, I just do 'em.
I think the whole defensive thing comes from the fact that the general "we", as New Englanders, can be quite provincial in terms of thinking that everybody is like us. Intellectually we know that's not true. As a group, however, anything deviating from the way "we" do things is automatically looked on with suspicion...ergo, the defenses come up.
I could never afford a Volvo but I'm going to run my Jeep into the ground rather than pay over $200/month for a newer vehicle, never mind watching my car insurance become more expensive. THAT's an example of Yankee frugality.
Same here, I think the people who are getting upset have never lived anywhere else in their lives so they are getting defensive. I used to live in 30350 which was part of Atlanta before it got annexed by Sandy Springs for geographical reasons. I didn't have curbside trash pickup there either.
I can only speak for myself, but I've lived in four different metropolitan areas, and my current town is the first I've ever encountered that doesn't do trash collection. I preferred being able to leave my trash at the curb. For me, it's not a question of defending local practices, nor would I have been offended by general questions about it. This devolved into sniping because OP's tone was not merely curious, but derisive. She didn't even ask a legitimate question - she was simply looking for affirmation that having to haul your own trash is ridiculous.
Nobody's asking OP to apologize for being privileged, but a modicum of self-awareness would be nice. Some folks on this forum have to worry about which neighborhoods are least dangerous and where they can find deleaded apartments for under $1,000/month. Meanwhile, the folks on OP's end of the social spectrum agonize over whether they can get that third guest bedroom on a $1 million budget, or whether their children will ever be able to flourish in a town with a high school that rated only a 9/10 on greatschools.org. It strikes a nerve when people like OP treat relatively trivial things like hauling trash not just as a local curiosity, but as an affront to their personal dignity.
If the initial question had been, "Can anybody recommend a good private trash service?" then this thread is over after a few replies. But that wasn't the question. The OP used terms like "seriously?"; "it doesn't seem like this is possible"; "do I really have to put my trash in a car and drive it somewhere?"; and "I'm just shocked to find something so ridiculous still exists in 2015."
Attitudes like that fuel resentment over how out-of-touch some folks are. I suspect that most of the folks who are genuinely surprised by the negative reactions share similar profiles - e.g., large homes in Newton, Needham, Wellesley, Weston, Sudbury, Sharon, etc.
I can only speak for myself, but I've lived in four different metropolitan areas, and my current town is the first I've ever encountered that doesn't do trash collection. I preferred being able to leave my trash at the curb. For me, it's not a question of defending local practices, nor would I have been offended by general questions about it. This devolved into sniping because OP's tone was not merely curious, but derisive. She didn't even ask a legitimate question - she was simply looking for affirmation that having to haul your own trash is ridiculous.
Nobody's asking OP to apologize for being privileged, but a modicum of self-awareness would be nice. Some folks on this forum have to worry about which neighborhoods are least dangerous and where they can find deleaded apartments for under $1,000/month. Meanwhile, the folks on OP's end of the social spectrum agonize over whether they can get that third guest bedroom on a $1 million budget, or whether their children will ever be able to flourish in a town with a high school that rated only a 9/10 on greatschools.org. It strikes a nerve when people like OP treat relatively trivial things like hauling trash not just as a local curiosity, but as an affront to their personal dignity.
If the initial question had been, "Can anybody recommend a good private trash service?" then this thread is over after a few replies. But that wasn't the question. The OP used terms like "seriously?"; "it doesn't seem like this is possible"; "do I really have to put my trash in a car and drive it somewhere?"; and "I'm just shocked to find something so ridiculous still exists in 2015."
Attitudes like that fuel resentment over how out-of-touch some folks are. I suspect that most of the folks who are genuinely surprised by the negative reactions share similar profiles - e.g., large homes in Newton, Needham, Wellesley, Weston, Sudbury, Sharon, etc.
Got it, just a difference of opinion that's all. I felt the same way as the OP when I found out that many upscale suburbs in Boston didn't offer municipal trash pickup. I just have a hard time wrapping my head around how a town like Weston or Sherborn with average real estate taxes of ~$15k don't offer municipal trash service. Then you have towns like Natick/Framingham with real estate taxes of only $6-7k that do offer curbside service. It makes me wonder where all that money is going. I know it's mostly going to the schools, but I still have to wonder why the percentage of school administration costs vs teacher salaries in these towns is so high compared to towns like Natick.
I think some of you who grew up outside of Massachusetts are failing to realize that it's not really the money, but a local tradition. Yes, I'm serious. Some of these local transfer stations even offer coffee . You make new friends hauling your trash once a week.
Thank you to everyone who chimed in with voices of reason. I think Parsec is right -- I've known plenty of people who have never left their own state and find it very scary to hear about any other ways of doing things and are very defensive about any suggestion that some things in their corner of the world are different from how they're done in other places.
To be fair you are the one who was surprised at the way things were done differently than what you were used to. You are the one who suggested that it was backwards, with your snarky comment about not believing this was still done in 2015 and calling it ridiculous. Why wouldn't people get defensive about that? Instead of 'getting' that you go on and insult them further, implying they must all be rubes who have no clue that things might be done differently elsewhere. I hope you are more discreet in rl than you are in this thread.
Got it, just a difference of opinion that's all. I felt the same way as the OP when I found out that many upscale suburbs in Boston didn't offer municipal trash pickup. I just have a hard time wrapping my head around how a town like Weston or Sherborn with average real estate taxes of ~$15k don't offer municipal trash service. Then you have towns like Natick/Framingham with real estate taxes of only $6-7k that do offer curbside service. It makes me wonder where all that money is going. I know it's mostly going to the schools, but I still have to wonder why the percentage of school administration costs vs teacher salaries in these towns is so high compared to towns like Natick.
Personally, I would love for my town to offer trash pick up. I was irate when I recently read that they were doing away with the fee for the access sticker that gets you into the transfer station. Basically, they're rolling it into the RE taxes. So, it's like I'm paying for two refuse removal services. I complained to one of the local selectman and his feeling was that it's fair because only 15% of the town uses a trash pick up service.
One problem with those that have never lived anywhere else is they know little about how things can be different. They accept only what they know.
Having lived around the US (Boston, Chicago, OH, LA, NYC, and now SC) I learned to take it all in stride and the goods far outweighed the bads. In another chat, a woman that moved from MA to SC complains about bugs but forgets how horrible winters in MA can be. Give me bugs over snow anytime.
Give me paying for private trash service ($48 per quarter here) versus the cold wind off of Lake Michigan anytime.
In one town in MA I lived in trash was picked up in our HOA under a private contract which was part of the reason the town approved building the HOA. In the town itself you had to buy stickers to put on more than one trash barrel. No stickee, no pickee up......LOL
I've known plenty of people who have never left their own state and find it very scary to hear about any other ways of doing things and are very defensive about any suggestion that some things in their corner of the world are different from how they're done in other places.
Seriously? It's called understanding the CULTURE of the place you're moving to.
Usually people from the outside try to acclimate and understand the hows and whys of a place they're moving to. Hey... They usually try to make friends, too, with their new neighbors.
I've lived in 3 non-English speaking countries, a few US states and plenty of Mass towns and cities. All had their own way of dealing with waste. Not once did I think their way of resolving trash was incomprehensible and worthy of ranting to the world over the inhumanity of it.
Cherry pick your arguments all you want, but at the end of the day, no one was defensive about any suggestion things are done differently. Folks were annoyed with your incomprehension that things could be done differently than your expectations. You still are unable to understand that people in these towns are ok without public trash service (because it's still not the end of the world). If those residents want it changed for their town, they can bring it up at the next town hall meeting. Their choice. Not yours.
Seriously? It's called understanding the CULTURE of the place you're moving to.
Usually people from the outside try to acclimate and understand the hows and whys of a place they're moving to. Hey... They usually try to make friends, too, with their new neighbors.
I've lived in 3 non-English speaking countries, a few US states and plenty of Mass towns and cities. All had their own way of dealing with waste. Not once did I think their way of resolving trash was incomprehensible and worthy of ranting to the world over the inhumanity of it.
Cherry pick your arguments all you want, but at the end of the day, no one was defensive about any suggestion things are done differently. Folks were annoyed with your incomprehension that things could be done differently than your expectations. You still are unable to understand that people in these towns are ok without public trash service (because it's still not the end of the world). If those residents want it changed for their town, they can bring it up at the next town hall meeting. Their choice. Not yours.
My goodness. Obviously you're one of those people who enjoys getting upset. I'm laughing at this whole idea that I would somehow come in and force towns to have trash service, against the wills of the residents. Not all places have their "culture" revolve around trash service. Not everything that I personally find bizarre is something that I could change. Certainly the towns that love their dumps are welcome to continue to have them as they are. More power to 'em if that's what makes the residents happy. A lot of other people will, however, find it strange.
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