I have too much garbage!

July 4, 2009 7:08 PM

Please recommend how I can get rid of trash in Pasadena, CA.

I just moved to Pasadena, CA. Between the trash that the previous occupant left and the crap that I've cleaned (yard waste and junk) that I need to get rid of, I have an unmanageable garbage to deal with after considering the stuff that I can recycle.

Am I allowed to just leave all of this garbage in the curb and the collectors will pick it up?

Are there trash collection services that you can recommend that can pick up the garbage? How much do they normally cost.

Nothing in my pile will be other people's "treasure" because it's mostly yard waste and a few construction debris.

Thank you.

posted by onich to home & garden (13 comments total)

Rent a construction dumpster. Look in the yellow pages or the internets. Load it up & they haul it away!
posted by patnok at 7:21 PM on July 4

You can't leave the garbage on the curb. If there's enough of it, and you leave it long enough, the city might cite you. You might want to check with the municipal garbage collection agency and find out if they have a "bulk collection" day sometime soon (we have them twice a year); however, random debris might be excluded from such collection days which might only focus on big items like fridges and sofas.

1-800-Got-Junk will send a small truck to come pick up trash and they load it up for you. I've used it in Austin with satisfaction. They charge you by how much stuff they have to haul away (minimum is probably around $50 -- might be more expensive in S. California).
posted by puritycontrol at 7:31 PM on July 4

Thanks. I've booked a pick-up from 1-800-Got-Junk. I'll post how the service goes and how much it will cost me. I just want this crap out as soon as possible.
posted by onich at 7:43 PM on July 4

There is a number to call for extra "bulky item" pickups, and the info is here (for future reference at least): Pasadena Maintenance-related Telephone Numbers. In general, Pasadena's city website is fairly awesome as a resource for all sorts of things (police reports, who to call about what, all kinds of things). You can even find out what locations have tv/movie filming going on, how long the filming will last, and what's filming!

We just used 1-800-got-junk to haul away a 45" tube tv a couple days ago and that cost about $170 (for just the single item). I would personally probably only use them again for something equally as impossible to do by myself.
posted by so_gracefully at 8:07 PM on July 4

$170 is probably fair to carry out & properly dispose of a 45" CRT TV. That's one BIG TV!
posted by patnok at 8:25 PM on July 4

Thanks for the heads-up so_gracefully. I'm not committed to 1-800-Got-Junk until I agree to their estimate.

$170 for the CRT? Is it because it contains hazardous materials? I just have trash so I hope it won't cost that much.
posted by onich at 9:06 PM on July 4

It could be pricey, I paid someone almost $300 to haul away a truckload of debris (SF bay area). I may have been ripped off -- like you, I really really wanted it gone. I think a good portion of that was the labor for them to load up the garbage, though. I had raccoons get into an excess and spread it all over, so there was some work involved cleaning the mess up.

Let me know how much they end up charging you, I have the same issue again. :(
posted by cj_ at 9:25 PM on July 4

Easiest thing to do would be to call the bulky item pickup line so_gracefully posted and ask what they can do for you. Around here (SF), you get a certain number of pickups for free each year, so if you're lucky, it may not cost much at all. If you describe your garbage, they should be able to advise you.

Make sure 1-800-Got-Junk isn't going to charge you an estimate fee if they come out, quote some absurd cost, and you send them away.

If you've got a truck or have access to one, you could always haul the junk to the dump yourself. You'll still have to pay for this, but if money is more important than time, it's an option.
posted by zachlipton at 1:09 AM on July 5

Have you tried finding someone on Cragslist? Dealing with someone independent will give you a lot more room for negotiation.
posted by special-k at 9:42 AM on July 5

Sent you MeMail- we have a dumpster that we could possibly give you access to in Pasadena.
posted by arnicae at 12:37 PM on July 5

try calling the numbers so gracefully linked to, here in LA proper, you can call 3-1-1 and ask for a bulky item pickup, if you call the bulky item number and explain that you just moved in they should be willing to make a special trip out for you with a guy that actually gets out of his truck rather than the normal robo hauler where the guy gets to play a giant claw game :)
posted by legotech at 10:32 PM on July 5

I went with 1-800-GOT-JUNK and I regret it. I spent $400 for it just because I just wanted the crap out of there. They got the job done but it cost waay too much compared to what the other options if I was just a little more patient.

If anybody's reading through this thread - I wish I've pursued or at least looked into the comments posted here.
posted by onich at 2:01 AM on October 14

Yup, same thing happened to me. I bet this is pretty common because of how desperately people want the garbage gone. Also, they ended up charging me $100 or so more than the quote because they claim it was a harder job than they thought. I didn't particularly want them unloading the shit back into my yard, so I coughed up the cash.

I think next time I'll just rent a flatbed and pay a neighborhood kid to do the labor.
posted by cj_ at 7:25 AM on October 14