Paying for weekly curbside garbage pickup can really add up. When you’re working hard to pay off debt, save for a big goal, or fix your financial situation, you need to question every expense. Even your trash service!
When you’re accustomed to paying a bill, like your trash bill, every month, it’s easy to just chalk it as a mandatory expense, but it doesn’t have to be as expensive as you think.
For us, going from not having a trash bill at all, to suddenly having to pay for trash pickup really made us think twice. We thought creatively about ways to reduce or possibly eliminate having to pay for trash service.
Here are some ideas we came up with. I would love to hear your ideas for reducing or eliminating the cost of garbage pickup in the comments!
Shop around
This might sound obvious, but few people actually do it. Depending on where you live, you may have multiple trash service companies to choose from. If this is the case for you, you have a great chance to save money. Do your research to compare the companies. Look not just at the cost, but the service that is included.
If you don’t regularly look at competitors or talk to your companies about faithful customer discounts, then there are lots of ways that you can reduce your expenses, not just for trash, but for other household expenses.
Share with a neighbor
If both you and a neighbor uses less than the allotted disposal can, then sharing a service with a neighbor is a great option. I had a trash company actually recommend this idea to me when I called to ask if they had an every-other-week service instead of a weekly service. They said they didn’t but if I wanted to alternate weeks with a neighbor who wasn’t a big trash producer, that would work.
You could work this two ways. You could both contribute half of a can of trash each week, or you could alternate weeks by saving up your trash in your own can and using the official company’s can every other week.
Make sure you’re not breaking any rules by doing this. Saving money dishonestly is never worth it.
Go to the dump
Have you ever considered ditching curbside service altogether? I had never been to the dump until recently. After moving in, we took a truckload to the dump and I was shocked at how inexpensive it was. My wheels started turning.
I found out that they take recyclables for free, which includes not just cardboard boxes, cans and plastic milk jugs, but scrap metal, rigid plastic, and even electronics. At the dump, it costs less than $7 to dispose of two full 30 gallon trash cans . The trash cans themselves cost $15 each at Home Depot, but where we are, curbside pickup for that amount costs $25-$30 per month, so you can quickly make back the expense.
Part of the key to saving money with this plan is to reduce your trash output. Separating our recyclables really helps, since recyclables are free. With each dump load of two trash cans that we take, we have at least the same volume in recyclables. We also throw away little to no food trash, as we have both chickens and a compost pile. We have gone up to six weeks between dump trips.
Drastically reduce your output
An extreme way to reduce your trash bill is to drastically reduce the trash that you produce. I once read an article about a determined and environmentally charged couple who made it through a year and produced only one bag of trash! They were super careful about what they bought and made sure it was minimal or recyclable.
Now I understand that their story was pretty extreme for most of us, but it does show that with conscious effort, you really can reduce the amount of trash you produce. When we first started cloth diapering, I was shocked at how much less trash we had than when we used disposables. We started with cloth diapers when our third was already nine months old, so the change in trash volume was very apparent.
You don’t have to do any of this
What you decide to do (or whether you do anything at all) to save money on trash service is totally up to you. If this all sounds like more work than it’s worth, choose a different area of your budget to optimize. So much of it depends on your season in life and how much it’s worth it to you to save money in this area.
If I had had to pay for trash service when I was single, I could see myself going the drastic reduction route. Right now I’m content to take my cans to the dump every few weeks and pay $7 per month instead of the $30 that curbside pickup would cost. That might change at the end of the summer when the new little one joins our family. We’ll just have to see.
The point is, if you want to save money on trash service (or anything else), there is a way. It just takes some creativity and flexibility.
How about you?
- What have you done to save money on trash service?
Thank you for sharing these creative ways to save on trash service! I agree that questioning every expense, even seemingly fixed ones, can lead to unexpected savings. It is interesting that options like sharing services or reducing waste output can make such a difference. Great ideas to inspire more frugal living!
The idea of composting and reducing waste resonated with me. It’s amazing how small changes can make a big impact not only on our wallets but also on the environment. Your practical advice is like a breath of fresh air in a world saturated with generic money-saving tips. I’m definitely going to give some of these ideas a try.
Although these ideas are not economical, they are creative and fun!
I like the idea of sharing waste disposal services with a neighbor. Neither one of us throws away a lot of stuff. Might as well work together to save money.
Terrible of this person to recommend neighbors share trash service! No trash company in America would recommend that. This brain dead idea came from the writer of this story. Is it ok for neighbors to share cable? NO! Is it ok to use your neighbors WiFi? NO! Is it ok for neighbors to use only one landline phone number and stretch phone cords between the houses? NO!
If multiple homes share trash service but only pay for one home, that is THEFT!!!
This article is disgusting.
Maybe you missed where I explained that it was the TRASH COMPANY’S suggestion.
“I had a trash company actually recommend this idea to me when I called to ask if they had an every-other-week service instead of a weekly service. They said they didn’t but if I wanted to alternate weeks with a neighbor who wasn’t a big trash producer, that would work.”
They clearly understand that when I pay for my ONE trash can to be picked up each week, it doesn’t matter where that trash came from, as long as it fits in my allotted can.
It would be different if the trash company picked up unlimited cans of trash each week. Then it would be unfair and dishonest to lump neighbors’ trash together as one customer. Since it is limited to one can (at least where I live), then this is not dishonest and the company does not have a problem with it.
I do not think this article is disgusting, and honestly the trolls on here trying to make you feel as if you are suggesting theft… well those fools should really consider why they are on this site, to read this article in the first place!!!!
TO ALL THE HATERS, commenting here: Before trash-talking consider why it is that you are on this webpage reading this article because obviously you are In some sort of personal trash dilemma. This Author was literally just giving suggestions,.. Yall are dumb for even saying all that to her when you chose to be here. get a life, and here is the part where I now get back to mine.
peace easy .
Stephanie, I think it’s a GREAT idea…don’t understand the negative comments!
I purchased a trash compacter second hand and compact the trash before putting it in the can that saves room and money. Unfortunately, in my area we have no choice who our trash service is.
Geezus…lol
calm down…garbage companies will NEVER go out of business…so what if a few people want to save a buck or two…maybe garbage companies can offer more flexible options for people who are trying to reduce their carbon footprint..WHAT’S WRONG WITH THAT?
You don’t think the trash company’s are not ripping us off???=THEFT!!!
Maybe try not being a cunt for a bit. All those things mentioned make sense if you have a neighbor you can trust. Which you probably don’t considering your attitude. The main purpose of the article is to reduce reuse and recycle.
Wow..that was so rude of you. It is okay to have an opinion, but yours was beyond being mean. I for one actually share trash costs with a neighbor since we live in a rural area that also adds gas expenses for the truck on top of the container rental and gets very costly. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the suggestion and for you to take it to another level says more about you.
My company allows my son and me to share trash. I usually have maybe 1 or two bags a week. And the trash company was happy to allow my son to toss his in as well. They make one stop and gather from one can. I didn’t have to ask, but because of integrity I did and he was happy to oblige. But really, your rudeness is something I would focus on before judging anyone else.
HOW DARE YOU TELL PEOPLE TO SHARE TRASH SERVICE WITH YOUR NEIGHBOR! THAT IS THEFT. TRASH COMPANIES HAVE BILLS AND EMPLOYEES TO PAY.
Hi Gary. Maybe you missed where I explained that it was the TRASH COMPANY’S suggestion.
“I had a trash company actually recommend this idea to me when I called to ask if they had an every-other-week service instead of a weekly service. They said they didn’t but if I wanted to alternate weeks with a neighbor who wasn’t a big trash producer, that would work.”
They clearly understand that when I pay for my ONE trash can to be picked up each week, it doesn’t matter where that trash came from, as long as it fits in my allotted can.
It would be different if the trash company picked up unlimited cans of trash each week. Then it would be unfair and dishonest to lump neighbors’ trash together as one customer. Since it is limited to one can (at least where I live), then this is not dishonest and the company does not have a problem with it.
To be honest I have a trash removal company in Florida and I think the trash companies and the landfill should charge more To everyone, only because this world is getting ran down by trash. There is way to much trash in the earth and are oceans. I go to the landfill daily and it is disgusting, way to much trash, we are having everything dumped right into the ground or ocean. And that can’t be healthy for the environment that’s why I say charge more to everyone so everyone will start to learn how to recycle the right way and not put trash in are earth. And if you think I’m joking about the trash taking over the earth. Well then take one day out of your life to go to your local landfill and then think about all the other landfills on this earth. It’s disgusting. No one takes trash seriously. We just make it and throw it away no one ever thinks where is it going and how it’s hurting us. Seriously everyone needs to recycle more, and cut back on trash.
Dear Writer,
Do you own or have you ever owned a solid waste and recycling company? Do you operate or have you ever operated a municipality’s solid waste department?
If not, why do you comment as if you know the rules, regulations or industry practices or standards of something you know nothing about?
Your claim of a solid waste disposal company telling you to steal service is a lie, no reputable company is going to recommend stealing trash service.
You really should take this article down or edit it.
Gary, you are an idiot
That’s not stealing. Get off your high horse
And Gary some people don’t generate as much trash as people like yourself so maybe if garbage companies offered more flexible options that little old lady on a fixed income wouldn’t have to resort to breaking the law. Do you really see a day where there will be no garbage companies? Do you??
That’s ridiculous. Sharing a trash can with a neighbor who doesn’t product much trash is a great way to save money, not theft at all! It’s neighbors helping neighbors. I love the idea.
The trash company makes plenty of money from those who use several cans per week. It all works out.
I’ve heard of neighbors who share lawnmowers, edgers, pressure washers and other home maintenance items. It saves money and space in each neighbor’s garage. Are they ripping off the companies who produce those machines? Of course not!
lol..you are ridiculous and not every trash company is the same. They are a monopoly plain and simple. Our trash company charges for the bin rental every month PLUS the gas that they use. I pay $212.00 every 3 months. And in California, we are also charge other taxes. So, if my neighbor and I wish to share a bin to save on costs, then so be it. Especially when you don’t even fill it up every week.
It is interesting that you recommend reaching out to multiple trash companies that service your area to see what one offers the cheapest service. My wife and I just moved into our first house and we are trying to figure out the waste management system in this area. We may consider looking into a company that is growing or that has been around for a long time.
Where do you live???? I live in Cook County (home of Chicago), and it costs $109 to take garbage to the dump here. I have a lot of trash to get rid of, and no way to get rid od it, because going to the dump or renting a large dumpster are both outrageously expensive. I’ve been struggling with extreme depression and anxiety for a long time, and my housekeeping fell embarassingly behind. Now I have a village home inspection coming up, and no way to get rid of my garbage. I don’t know what to do. I’m afraid of losing my home, my family. What do I do? Where do you live that it’s so cheap?
Hi Amanda! I live in Northern California. We live in a much more rural county than you do, which is probably why the dump is so much cheaper here. Can you divide out the recyclables perhaps? Our dump takes recyclable materials for free. Maybe you could talk to some friends or neighbors and ask if you could put some trash in their trash cans for this one time? Good luck getting cleaned up! You can do it!! 🙂
I like the tip that you gave to compare several different trash removal services before you decide on which one you want to hire. My wife and I have been talking about finding a trash removal service for if we move to a new house, and it would be important for us to know that we could find one who we could be confident that they will be the right choice. If we choose to find a trash removal service, I will be sure to compare several different ones before I choose.
I like the tip that you gave to compare the prices of different garbage services before you decide to buy one. My wife and I have been talking about finding a trash removal service to help us if we were to build our first home, and it would be important for us to know that we could find one who we could trust in their prices. If we decide to find a garbage service, I will be sure to compare the prices of several beforehand, so I can be confident that we are getting the best deal.
I like that you pointed out that we could save money by separating recyclables from those that are not. As you said, this is because they are free that is why it is wise to segregate the trash. I will follow your advice, so I will rent two dumpsters for recyclables and not since we are on a limited budget. We just need this since we will be renovating the whole house that is why it would be helpful if we cut costs on some parts.
Geez, you all don’t pay much! I’m in Mesa, Arizona and I pay $65/month for both my trash and sewage on one bill. They are both about 50/50 on the bill!!!!!
Since my trash is billed with my sewage, they said I couldn’t stop the services while I was gone for the whole summer…I had to keep paying to not use the service at all.
And when I am at home (I’m the only one that lives there), I put my trash/recycle bins out once every 4-6 weeks. I don’t think it’s fair for me to have to pay the same rate as the neighbors who have a family of 5 and their trash bin is flowing over EVERY WEEK!
Finding the right trash service is hard to do. We have so many in our area and have had great luck with out current trash company.
The idea of garbage sharring seems really neat.
I have not done anything yet I was thinking how we went from no bill to a 60 $ a month.
How can I find out if I can say No to waste management? We don’t have trash every week and what I can flush I do ,and feed the street cat’s.
Can we be forced to use the waste management company?
If your trash is not included with water or HOA, you cannot be forced. You can not allow it to build up though. Be careful flushing!!! Just one clog can cost you all you saved or more. $60/mo is ridiculous!!! Try the share with a neighbor but the trash company must allow it. Another idea is get several neighbors together and get a dumpster. Small ones aren’t real expensive and it also allows you to get rid of some larger items (microwaves, TV’s etc) that most companies charge extra for.
We started taking our trash to the transfer station in Salem, Or about six months ago. We only have one option for service. They started this practice of adding fees to bills every time something was in the recycling bin that shouldn’t be. It became a huge problem and the local paper ran a story on it. We were getting charged fees for banned items in the recycling bin as were our neighbors and everyone else in our area. It got to the point we would not let the kids take trash or recyclables outside. One of the times we got the fee I dumped the big blue recycling bin before placing it at the curb and went through everything. There was not one banned item in it. I stood outside and watched as the truck picked up the blue bin and dumped it. Driver not paying no attention to contents. Bill came and for that date we were fined for banned items. I called and they stated there was a bunch of Styrofoam in it according to the drivers notes. Not one bot of Styrofoam was in it then or ever. They would not allow you to challenge the fee. Our bills tripled every bi-monthly billing to over $100 every bill. We cancelled garbage service due to those deceptive practices, bought our own cans and take the trash to the transfer station on average every 6 weeks or so for $25 a trip. Up to 460 pounds is $25. The most we have had since doing this was 400 pounds. They weigh your vehicle in and out to charge you. So much better than fees that aren’t deserving.
I work for a trash company, nice ideas, going to the dump will cost you more in the long run. Biggest thing I could add to this, you want to save money. Buy a smaller bin. I can say the larger the bins people have at their house, the more they buy. For some reason people feel they have to fill the bin every week, the faster they fill it. The faster they have to replace what they put in. Weird concept I know. But it will save people hundreds of dollars a month in overall consumer spending by simply using a smaller bin.
I’ve heard of some people changing what they buy and making waste-free homes. I love the idea of saving money by just changing simple little things we deal with on a daily basis.
I discovered a new strategy to cut down trash costs: sell my metal recycling!
There is a scrap metal recycling company directly on the way to the library, so it’s easy to just collect our metals and drop them on the way there.
I really like the tip of combining your trash with your neighbors to save money, especially if both of you never use more than half of your dumpster each week. My wife and I recently moved into a new neighborhood, and since it is just the two of us, we don’t go through a lot of garbage. I will be sure ask around and see if any of my neighbors are in a similar situation, and maybe we could share a trash can!
I love your article! When I was first researching how to stop buying trash bags, that’s basically the general idea that I ran across, was to cut down trash output.
Since we were married, we’ve always taken our trash to my husband’s work. Since we got serious about reducing trash though, there’s not very much trash to take anymore. I also eliminated buying garbage bags altogether.
Beyond regular curbside or recycling center recycling, so much can be recycled. There are drop spots to recycle clothing and shoes and other items can be mailed in for recycling. TerraCycle, for example, has a lot of free recycling programs. I participate in their dental care recycling program and their energy bar wrapper program. I try to also buy stuff with the end in mind. I take my own produce bags to the store and try to go for the loose produce, over bagged produce, whenever possible. If I need to buy something in packaging, I try to go for the most recyclable options.
Our local recycling center runs by paid memberships, but luckily we only pay $45 per year for membership.
I also compost very heavily.
We’ve eliminated most disposable items from our household. The ones that have to be disposable, we try to do biodegradable options so that they don’t have to be landfilled. For example, we use biodegradable silk dental floss in a refillable container, brush with bamboo toothbrushes, and use pine horse bedding for cat litter. When we’re done with our toothbrush and floss, they can be composted.
I package up the little bit of trash that we do have in some sort of repurposed bag. When you don’t have much trash, any bag will work. Bread bags and kitty litter bags can hold trash. Then my husband takes the little bit of trash and puts it in his work dumpster.
It’s funny that you bring this up; my family is oddly creative in saving money on trash service. I can’t say I want to adopt all of their habits, but sharing service with family or neighbors is definitely worthwhile.
I can so relate to this. My husband and I first dumped our trash in his aunt’s office dumpster for the first few years we were married. We were so broke, we couldn’t even afford trash!! Now we are debt free, and I’m so grateful for that crazy season of sacrifice. Ironically, he now sells trash for one of the leading national trash companies. God sure does has a sense of humor!
Wow, I’m amazed at the cost of just $7/month to use your disposal services. It’s about $30/month for weekly trash service here in my city. Otherwise the landfill charges about $30 per trip.
The monthly curbside pick-up where we live is $25-30/month, but the dump just charges $7 for two cans of trash, which works for us for a month!
Same. I have minimal garbage with our 3 person family. Recycle, compost, burn and donate. I take the trash to the same place that I get refunds on the bottles and cans, so one trip, about every 6 weeks, the bottle refund more than pays for my 4$ garbage can, as opposed to 12$ or so a month for weekly pick ups. And it isn’t far from where I live.
Sounds perfect Sue!
Wow these are great tips. We live in a townhouse, so the trash fee is included in the HOA fee, and there’s nothing we can do to reduce it. But I will keep these in mind for the future when we buy a single-family home.
We live in a rural area and are allowed a burn barrel. So our trash is free. We recycle and compost everything possible , so our trash is mostly paper and packaging. It may take a month to fill a trash can in our house. And we are not sending things to the landfill.
That’s great Betsy! Hooray for one less bill!
When we lived inside city limits, our trash pickup was included in our water bill and was around $16 per month if I remember correctly. We now live in the county just outside city limits with no trash service. Some people in our neighborhood have a private company do trash pickup but since the dump/recycling center is 5 minutes away, we have skipped trash pickup and take our own at no out-of-pocket cost to us (our tax dollars at work).
We bought 2 trash cans when we moved here 5 years ago and they are still going strong. Not pretty but they are for trash. LOL. We take a load to the dump about once a month; more if we are cleaning stuff out or have company.
That’s great that you can bring your trash to the dump without any charge at all!
Our neighborhood banded together and negotiated a group discount for curbside trash & recycling. My recycling bin usually holds more than my trash.
Bea Johnson and her family of four at Zero Waste Home produces a mason jar of trash annually. Very interesting concept of refusing to accept extra that we don’t need i.e., don’t accept a plastic bag bring a fabric bag instead.
http://www.zerowastehome.com/
Garbage pick-up in our area costs $2.50/bag, but we recently just discovered that we’re allowed to dump trash at my husband’s work for free, as they have dumpsters that are emptied regularly but never full, so I was very excited about that!
Awesome! I have close friends that do that too! The dumpster at his office is rarely filled, so they got permission to bring their trash there!
Like Karen, our trash & recycle pick-up is included with the water & sewer bill. It all runs about $45 a month in the winter but because we live in a desert our water bill goes WAY up in the summer. We try to use as little as possible for watering garden & lawn, recycling grey water, catching what little rain falls in the summer. Seems like they’re gonna get you, one way or the other.
I don’t have that option as our trash service is included in our water bill, but if you can make it work, go for it! I think it is also a great idea as it has helped you to better recycle. I know we throw away a lot that could be recycled.
Also, did I read correctly that a “new little one” will be joining you in the fall? Congratulations!
I thought the same thing! Congrats!
Thanks Nikita! 😉
Thanks Karen! 😉 We’re excited about it! And yes, we definitely put more effort into dividing our recyclables out from our trash than we have in the past, which is a good thing!