Community Post

The Trash & Wind Conundrum

Tomorrow is Wednesday, our scheduled trash day. And we’ve all got 2 weeks worth of stinky, piled up, weather-delayed, holiday trash that desperately needs to be picked up.

Due to my dislike of early morning chill and a strong desire to make sure the trash isn’t missed, my normal plan would be to roll the cans out to the street tonight. The only problem: our weather watchers are predicting a big wind storm around midnight tonight, with gusts up to 50 mph. The last thing I need is to wake up tomorrow to find the cans overturned and a tornado of trash twisting down the street.  

So the decision is whether to set an awfully early alarm for 6am and get bundled up to set the trash out tomorrow, or set them out tonight with some sort of duct-tape rigging to minimize spillage. Suggestions are welcome.

Wondering what to put out?  Trash and recycling.  Yard waste will be skipped for a couple of weeks until the system is caught back up. And there’s no charge for extra trash beyond what fits in your normal container. (Maybe time to clean out that cluttered garage and basement?)

If your trash gets skipped tomorrow, SPU says to leave it out through the end of Thursday.  It probably wouldn’t hurt to also call them at 206-684-3000 to make sure they know you were missed.

Let’s all hope that this is the last step of recovery from the snow-storm from hell.

0 thoughts on “The Trash & Wind Conundrum

  1. thanks for the heads up on the wind storm. i’m an early riser (bike to work) so i just need to remember to put them out when leave. most of the time i’m worried about the wind after pick-up/when the cans are empty. there have been several times i have needed to hunt for my empty cans (in the dark) because the wind decided to blow them down the street and into some neighbor’s yard. :-/

  2. Something that I have found usually works for protection against the wind is how I place the cans when I put them out.

    Figure out which way the wind will probably come from (for me, it’s from the south) and place the container so that the lid’s hinge is toward that direction. Then when the wind blows, it will not lift the lid and make it act as a sail, and the contents will be more secure.

    The suggested brick also helps. Three is (are?) better. You can place the smaller (garbage) can in the lee of the larger (recycle) can for extra protection. The cans are probably heavier than usual this week, and that helps too.

  3. i’m not as worried about the wind as i am the zillion squirrels that bust into my trash can and go to town.

    i’ve had all my stinky trash piling up in the basement and it ain’t pretty.

    I’m going w/ the early morning wake up.
    happy trash day tomorrow!!!!!
    anna

  4. They raid trash bags not in garbage cans. Since my one can was filled last week, I’ve got to put the remainder out in bags :(