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Antonio Cafiero
Citizen
Username: Acafiero
Post Number: 2
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, October 31, 2002 - 9:18 pm: |     |
Hi everyone. Maplewood is even better then I thought it would be when we moved here a few months ago. However, there are 2 things I wonder about. Is anyone else diturbed by the service we get from the post office and the waste removal people. The other day we didn't get mail until after 5:30PM and I seriously doubt all our mail is making it here. The waste removal people tend to do a not so nice job. We don't really appreciate having our garbage containers thrown on our lawn or in our driveway. These things are especially alarming when considering the amount of taxes we pay and the fact that we pay for waste removal. Is anyone else experiencing these issues? Please share your thoughts. |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 1347
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, October 31, 2002 - 11:03 pm: | |
Antonio-
Welcome. Late mail is pretty much an issue at times. In terms of the garbage, the Prima Donnas need to be schooled a bit. Unfair, I know, that you have to demand service that you pay for. At any rate, whenever I have a problem, including when they leave anything in the bottom of the trash can, I call and complain. They will send someone out that (or the next) day to rectify. It's been pretty windy, tho, so it is possible that the cans blew around on their own.
Last Spring, I called and told the dispatcher to let the guys know that when I had perfect service for a year, they would get a Christmas tip. Things have been wonderful ever since. |
galileo
Citizen
Username: Galileo
Post Number: 70
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, October 31, 2002 - 11:17 pm: | |
Antonio - I agree mail delivery has been terrible lately,usually arriving around 6 P.M. in my neighborhood. I hate to complain but will have to if it doesn't get better. As you know the garbage is collected in the back of your home so it shouldn't be in the street. The problem is the recycling. Those containers are just thrown helter-skelter,sometimes find mine way down the street. Maybe South Orange has a good idea with their recycling containers. |
Antonio Cafiero
Citizen
Username: Acafiero
Post Number: 3
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, October 31, 2002 - 11:29 pm: | |
Thanks to both of you for the feedback. It is nice to know I am not alone. Greenetree, it was not the wind, beleive me, but that was a great idea about the bonus.
What can we do about the mail? I have spoken to the people there and they were not very responsive or helpful. |
pmart
Citizen
Username: Pmart
Post Number: 44
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Friday, November 1, 2002 - 9:44 am: | |
Welcome, Antonio.
Unfortunately, there's not much you can do about the mail. If your street is set up so that it is at the end of the carrier's route, your mail will always be at the end of the day. Years ago, the carriers started their days at 6am. Typically, the mail was delivered to everyone by 2-3pm. Today, I believe they begin their days much later, thus, later deliveries.
A way around this would be to rent a Post Office box. You would then have your mail before noon.
(If it is of any comfort to you, our mail is delivered sometime between 4 and 5:30). |
java_drinker
Citizen
Username: Java_drinker
Post Number: 28
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Friday, November 1, 2002 - 10:15 am: | |
I gotta weigh in here on the trash issue too….
Last month I was home on a Monday when we have pick-up and I just happened to see the guy in my backyard to collect. He was opening up each bag like he was looking for buried treasure, but he was in for a surprise in one of them. Our one-year-old had been a bit ill that week and we had a bag just bursting with nasty diapers (sorry for the visual).
What kills me is that he left that bag just sitting in the back yard and he wouldn’t take it!!! I caught him on the street and asked him what the deal was and he got all embarrassed and said, “Oh, I didn‘t know you were watching me” like that should make a difference. I can only imagine what else is going on here.
I have never lived anywhere where they pick up your trash in the back, and I appreciate it, but we pay through the nose for it. I do have to agree with an earlier post, these guys are the Prima Donnas of collectors; they won’t take anything not in a bag and only two cans worth?!?!
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shh
Citizen
Username: Shh
Post Number: 402
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, November 1, 2002 - 10:37 am: | |
In agreement about the garbage guys. They've done the same to us...ripping open the bags. I watched them do it once when we had our first kid. Like all of a sudden we were producing all this extra trash...what are they writing a book?
Today I watched them dump all the bags from their large bin into the street. Disgusting! If one of the bags broke in the process you know they won't pick all the garbage up! And don't be fooled into thinking just because they're supposedly picking up from the back of your house they don't bring the cans into the front. They do, and often leave them right smack in the middle of my driveway so I have to stop my car in the middle of the street to move my cans before pulling in.
Next they're going to insist we use a certain kind of bag. I generally use plastic shopping bags to recycle them, doubling them when necessary. I'm sure they hate me for for that too! |
brusin
Citizen
Username: Brusin
Post Number: 37
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Friday, November 1, 2002 - 10:43 am: | |
My question about the garbage is: why are they looking thru the garbage anyway? Shouldn't what is in a garbage bag in the garbage can, just be considered garbage and not monitored? it took me 6 weeks to throw away our jack o'lantern last year because they kept rejecting it(it was in a garbage bag). i finally chopped it up and spread the pieces among several bags. i felt like the bad guy in "Rear Window". |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 1352
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, November 1, 2002 - 12:37 pm: | |
If they 'reject' your garbage or make a mess, do not hesitate to call & get a supervisor on the phone. We are only two adults, and more weeks that not, we have one full garbage can a week. Only on holidays do we fill both cans. There have been times when they have left one small plastic grocery bag with cat box scoopings. I could let it ride until the next pick-up, but I pay. I call & make them come and get it the next day. Believe me, it happens very rarely. Shh - have you tried calling the Supervisor & telling them you are waiting for someone to come and move the cans so that you can get in your driveway? You don't actually have to wait for them to do it, but they seem to understand high drama. A couple years ago I called up, very pleasantly & asked to arrange to pay half my bill. When the surprised receptionist said 'huh?' I informed her that I was willing to pay half the bill in exchange for them taking half the garbage. That was effective for about 6 months. So far, the tip thing has worked the longest. |
lseltzer
Citizen
Username: Lseltzer
Post Number: 1203
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, November 1, 2002 - 12:38 pm: | |
I've only had this problem when I've put something heavy in bags. They aren't supposed to take things like building materials. But in general they've been pretty good I think. A few times lately I've put out very large numbers of bags (cleaning the crap out of my basement and attic) and they've taken it all.
Perhaps when they go through the bags they're looking for things to salvage. Or perhaps some houses are tagged for putting recyclables in the trash? |
bobk
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 2231
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, November 1, 2002 - 1:51 pm: | |
I may be wrong on this but I believe the sanitation guys are supposed to check to see if any recyclable material is in the bags.
Again, a guess, but I am pretty sure that they have a pretty good idea how many bags the average house produces and, as Lseltzer says, unusual activity produces more garbage and some attention.
Why when I was disposing of my first wife.....
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egreenfi
Citizen
Username: Egreenfi
Post Number: 15
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 6, 2002 - 3:35 pm: | |
Mail: Ever since we moved to M'wood 7 1/2 years ago, our mail has always arrived after 5 pm. And to make things worse, when our carrier is ill or on vacation, the substitutes deliver only magazines and junk mail -- no first class mail or mail labeled for carrier route-sorting, That means that if the carrier goes on vacation for two weeks -- which has happened -- we don't get any bills for that entire time. (Not that we want the bills, of course, but they are supposed to be paid on time, I suppose.) Please don't tell me to go to the P.O. to pick it up -- that's kinda hard to do when you have to work for a living.
Also, some carriers do seem to keep interesting schedules. We have a neighbor who's a mailman, and his truck is in front of his house for hours every afternoon. His route's in another part of town, though.
Finally, as for the garbage: Our haulers do a terrific job, I think, and have aways been very tidy and prompt about their work. I do think, however, that the two-can limit is ridiculous and impracticable. When you have Mon/Thurs pick-up, as we do, virtually every major holiday means you have to go a week between pick-ups, and that's especially rough at Thanksgiving time.
Thanks for listening. |
maine
Citizen
Username: Maine
Post Number: 2
Registered: 11-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, November 16, 2002 - 7:56 pm: | |
The crew does a great job picking up our garbage and as someone mentioned earlier, picked up extra on occasion.
Mail delivery used to be great for us and then routes were changed. Now deliveries are very late but I can live with that. About two years ago we became aware that we were not receiving all of our mail (birthday invitations etc.) and anything that looked like it might have financial information would arrive opened. By the time we complained it had stopped but I have never felt the same about the mail service here again. We were told to keep an eye on it - not horror and we will look into it. |
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