Weighing down trash cans

[Steve B]

"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" wrote

It's up to the driver and pitcher. At my house, we did a remodel. When the trash men came, we gave them cold bottles of water and sodas. They backed up to the trash pile, and we pitched sheetrock, trashed cabinets, lots of stuff they probably wouldn't have taken if they had been just sitting there alone.

A little bribery (and kindness) goes a long ways. My regular guys will take just about anything I put out there. But I have to watch, because some of the fill in guys are rather picky. But even the fill in guys are a sucker for a bottle of water or a cold soda.

Steve

[tnom]

It sounds to me that you are using the approved garbage receptacle that the trash pickup company recommends in order to work properly with their automated truck arms. If so it's up to them to make it work. If it doesn't work for whatever reason you need to complain to them until they come up with a solution.

[mike]

I called. Their solution is..."call us when the container becomes damaged or missing and we will replace it". They don't have idea what to do in windy areas.

[Malcolm Hoar]

A BFI rep told be about the weight sensors just a few weeks ago.

Initially, I was very surprised. But, after a few moments thought, it seemed to make sense. It's prudent to protect the (rather expensive) truck, and the driver too. And you can imagine the lawsuits if an overloaded bin came crashing down on a passing pedestrian. Looks to me like weight sensors would pay for themselves in very little time at all.

I suspect that organizations like BFI have given more than a little thought to metered (by weight) garbage collection fees too.

[Malcolm Hoar]

Heh, that's certainly true around here. A few weeks ago the truck swallowed one of my wheelie bins -- not just the contents. I called BFI and they said it happens fairly regularly. They delivered a new bin later that *same* day! I was really quite impressed.

I am almost very impressed with the skill and courtesy of the BFI truck drivers around here. They really go to great lengths to be safe and avoid inconveniencing people.

[tnom]

Good. Call them twice a month to report a missing windblown trash container. Have your neighbors do this too. Take the missing trash containers and sell them on E-bay.

[Malcolm Hoar]

and go to jail...

[mike]

Here's something that might work:

I can clamp something like this to the wheel axle, but it would needs to be a lot heavier (each one weights about a pound), and a little more cost effective.

[tnom]

If you want to put weight on the axle then take the axle apart and install a pipe over it.

[Jim Yanik]

"mike" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

How about a couple of spring clips to hold the axle,mount the clips to a weighted or anchored (staked down)exterior grade plywood base? Like those clips to hold rake handles to your garage walls.If you have to,slide a PVC pipe over the axle to make the right size for the clips. Then I'd install a bungee cord or 2 inside the container to pull the lid shut,but still allow it to open when tipped upside down by the lift arm. It shouldn't add too much weight.

I'm sure the sanitation engineers aren't going to notice the bungees inside the container.

then you wheel out your trash bin,and lower it into the clips. After the lift arm does it's stuff,it may not get set back into the clips,though;that would depend on how accurate the arm is in replacing the bin to it's original spot.

[Terry]

Bolt a pair of these

or these

to the can

Use a 3 - 6 inch piece of rigid pipe for what ever weight you want.

[Bob M.]

1/2" steel plate the diameter of a common garbage can is probably at least 20 pounds. Bolt it to the bottom and be done with it.

No one's going to inspect the garbage cans for "unauthorized modifications".

[Malcolm Hoar]

I figure a good gust of wind would apply around 20-40 pounds of sideways force to the upper half of a typical trash bin (10-20 lbs/sq ft).

How much weight do you reckon would be required at the base of the bin to prevent it from toppling?

Too much to be practical, methinks.

[Malcolm Hoar]

In some places, folks have been prosecuted for putting the wrong kind of trash in their trash bins. Garbage is a serious business these days ;-)

[Steve B]

That makes about as much sense as calling in with a complaint that it smells.

Steve

[tnom]

It makes a whole lot of sense especially if the company starts losing garbage cans because of the wind.

[mike]

Definitely, especially with the axle on these things. The weights would have to be on there snug. The axle wouldn't support much weight on its own...and when the container gets whipped around by the arm, that thing wouldn't stand a chance.

[mike]

The arms aren't very accurate. Sometime they don't even set the containers down so that they are standing up.

I think whatever way I end up doing this, I can't depend on the container being set down in the same place.

[mike]

I would guess 20 pounds would be the practical limit. I'm guessing that would work for most windy days. It won't hold up against the strongest winds here, but it will at least help.

[<aemeijers]

Reading this thread, and looking at the retracting leash I use for my ID cardkey badges at work- Mebbe a giant version of the same thing, with a quick-release to latch on to the bottom of the cart? Arm could still pick it up, and the (nylon?) rope would play out, with a spring-loaded retractor pulling back down as the arm released? Calibrate the spring to match the wind load on the sail area of the can. Maybe one of those retracting dog leashes could be modified to work- the ones for big dogs have a pretty good retracting action. Bolt it to a stake, and wire the trigger down so it is always under tension.

aem sends...