City composting vs private hauler - which actually works better?

I tried the city's green bin program for about 6 months last year and honestly had more issues with smell and pickup timing than I expected. Then I switched to a private hauler for $22 a month and they gave me a sealed bin that gets swapped out every week no questions asked. The city option was cheaper but the private service felt way more reliable, especially during that July heat wave when my green bin got skipped twice. Anyone else switch between the two and have a clear winner?

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3 Comments

holly_green823mo ago

City's fine if you rinse bins and freeze scraps til pickup day.

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paulw633mo ago

I used to be all in on the city program, thought private haulers were a waste of money. But after my green bin got left out for two straight weeks in August with a half-full bin of rotten veggie scraps, I changed my tune fast. The city driver just said "missed your street" and they couldn't reschedule for another 5 days. My neighbor uses American Recycling, pays $25 a month, and they swap his bin every Tuesday morning like clockwork. I signed up after that and the sealed container cuts the smell down way better than the city's open-sided bin. Now I just tell people the extra cost is worth it for the peace of mind, especially in summer.

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eva_thompson103mo ago

Man, that's brutal. My buddy Dave had the exact same thing happen with the city in July. His bin was sitting out for a week with old chicken bones and melon rinds. He said the maggots were insane. He finally just bagged it all up and drove it to the dump himself because the city kept giving him the runaround. He switched to a private guy a month later and hasn't complained once about the $30 a month.

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