Weighing down trash cans

[Bob M.]

Get a piece of 1/2" steel plate and bolt it to the bottom of the can.

[jimmy]

He doesn't own the can. Drilling holes in the cans is against the rules

[Brian]

[jimmy]

[Jimi]

wrote in message news: [e-mail]...

Okay, After all the fisting through the other posters I have to say I have the same set up as you. I have had the SAME freaking garbage can for over TEN years! So my advice is don't worry about it...and try this....

Take the empty can and clean it out. Flip the can upside down and screw in the bottom about four 1/2 inch lagbolts about 2 inches long using very large washers as back up.. Then flip the can over and lay in the bottom of the container wax paper allowing the lag bolts to come through the paper. Then toss a few scuba diving lead weights to the bottom of the can. This is followed by pouring fiberglass resin over the lag bolts and diving weights. Do the same to the lid. Your present problem is solved. (Lead weight can include going to your nearest tire store and obtaining discarded tire weights etc...anything heavy....your mothers old iron etc) So you think you have damaged this container? Absolutely not!... Live with it and be happy!! People worry too much!! If there's a change in any neighbourhood garbage contract there is generally a BIG announcement! There will be a flyer in your mailbox or something hanging from your door stating they will be by to collect the garbage cans and a different one will be issued Etc ETc... Now THAT is when you have to worry!! But you can fix the problem....Take it to your garage and extract the bolts, dump the weight. Go to the nearest auto supply and buy a tube of JB Weld and repair the holes...cover the repair with mud....and quit worrying about such a small rule. Do you really think a contractor that has lost a garbage contract is going to inspect each and every can at your doorstep? Unless it's obvious damage I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. In the very worse case scenereo, ...run the damned thing over and totally destroy it... then leave it in the ditch in front of your house for pick up... If they come knocking say "It must have been hit by a drunk driver etc..... Freaking KIDS nowadays!" Bottom line is alter the can for your use (which could be ten years or more) and deal with the rest which would be a pittance....Take care....jimi

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

So what? It belongs to the city. They're never going to ask for the can back.

I live in a city that has the same sort of deal where the city has provided us with large lidded rollaway containers. I've had the same one for about 10 years now.

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

1) Screw a bungee from the side of the can to the lid so that the lid returns to the closed position normally but will flip open when pressure is applied to it, as it would when the garbage handler has the can upside down. The weight of the garbage should provide the opening force when the can is upside down.

1. Bolt a heavy steel plate to the base of the can to weigh the whole thing down, plus concentrate the center of gravity at the bottom of the can.

If the city is picky about altering their cans, put everything on the inside of the can. Nobody actually looks at the cans once the arm hooks them, so your alterations will remain your business.

[Brian]

[Steve B]

Be aware of this:

In our locality, if a trash can is too heavy, the men will not lift it. And the supervisor you call will back them up.

In our locality, any alterations to the rental type containers means you just bought it.

The way they swing those things around, extra weights might cause it to fly over the truck.

Make a rack to hold them. Some sort of enclosure.

Steve

[mike]

We have one guy per truck here. They'd probably have 0 if the trucks could drive themselves.

[mike]

I like the idea of the bungees since they're lightweights, so I could keep them on there all the time if they don't get in the way.

The problem with putting bolts in the cans is that I either have to live with the weights in the cans year-round or I have to remove them and deal with the holes in the can. With the winds we get around here, having a couple extra pounds isn't going to do the job...I need to be putting in probably about 20 pounds of weight at the bottom. I could live with that but some of my neighbors who are also trying to address this problem aren't strong enough to move an extra 20 pounds in the cans all the time, so being removeable is key, at least for them.

[Goedjn]

I wonder if magnetic paint and a big-ass magnet would work.

[Terry]

You could anchor a hook(eye) to the ground and put a snap on the can. This would be a trip hazard if you ever moved the can.

You can use a threaded anchor so you can remove the hook easily.

You could also put a latch on the lid.

[mike]

One idea I had was to try to find something like a pipe repair clamp (the thing that clamps onto a water pipe to repair a leak), but really heavy. I could then clamp this onto the axle of the wheel when needed and unclamp it when I don't. There's a handle on the front side of the can that I could also clamp something to in order to balance the extra weight. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find anything that would do the job.

[Jimmy]

Let's get CREATIVE. Replace the wheels with iron weight lifting weights. Epoxy and a bit of copper pipe can be inserted into the 1 inch holes in TWO ten pound weights for each side to fit the axle of the can. even a wood dowel would work in the weights with duct tape holding them together. I just put my garbage can out and this morning and checked the wheels,very doable on mine. This would add 40 pounds to the can.

Duct Tape five pounds plus of bar steel inside the lid near the front and the wind can't life it.

[Malcolm Hoar]

Aside from the risks of injury/damage from the weights, bear in mind that many of the modern garbage trucks with the robot arms to lift/empty the bins are also equipped with weight sensors. If the total weight of the bin exceeds a preset threshold, it won't be emptied.

If you add sufficient weight to prevent an empty bin from blowing around in high winds, there's a good chance that bin, when full, will weigh more than the trucks are programmed to handle.

[AZ Nomad]

Of course. That's why you should counterweight it with LTA ballasts.

[mike]

Now that's creative! :) I would think the weights would rust in a short manner of time. They are always outside. Points for creativity, nonetheless.

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

They must not be that advanced in Charlotte, NC. I was barely able to roll a neighbor's can out for him once, it was so stuffed with construction waste including cement blocks, etc. The city's trucks emptied it just like any other. Must have made one hell of a noise when all the cement block hit the interior of the truck.

We just have the one guy on the truck. He drives it and operates the arm. Nobody ever physically touches a can except for the homeowner. And once the crap's in the truck, it's like it never happened, even if the payload was officially contraband. The driver isn't going to wade into the detritus just to fish out your cement blocks.

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

Easy enough to test: Roll a heavy load of bricks or something similar and see if they take them away. Either they do or they don't.

Remember, it's always easier to receive forgiveness than permission.