So which commissioner has Leonard been telling to raise rates since no one can stop them? Even if we generate less garbage than ever?

This is just like Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall.

Well, Heiberg garbage refuses to take my yard waste container every time it is a pound too heavy. So I look forward to the weeks when I have too many food scraps and they refuse to take it. Can't wait to dig out some of that rotting garbage to lighten up the can every time Heiberg is feeling tempermental.

Secondly, they are assuming that regular garbage doesn't smell after two weeks. As we've got two kids producing diapers on a daily basis, I beg to differ.

Since I'm paying so much for sewer service, might as well make the best of it: any garbage that can be flushed or ground up will now be disposed of in our house via the toilet and garbage disposal. Heck, I might even get one of these babies and hook it up to my drainpipe.

Cut service in half, raise rates, enforce more sorting and containers. Clackistan here I come!

The plan is to raise rates but reduce garbage pick up ultimately to ONCE per MONTH. For those who want to retain current weekly garbage pickup, the plan calls for DOUBLING YOUR BILL.

Many Portland homes do not have extra counter or under the counter space for a scrap food collection container. And many Portlanders already compost onsite, but will receive no fee reduction for their efforts.

The yard debris/food scraps will be hauled long distance for disposal- a costly, unsustainable practice that negates the benefits of reducing garbage.

Garbage sitting in cans for a month will smell and rodent problems will increase.

More overtime for PW folks to go around and pick up all the trash left in the streets or where ever else people will throw it. People won't pay the extra fee's.

This one's easy... think Portland Water Bureau.

If we had two trash haulers to choose from, I bet the rates could be cut in half. A CoP awarded monopoly is the worst of both worlds.

I'm guessing they'll charge more if we upsize to a larger can. We don't have that much food waste and we already compost our produce scraps. Our family of 6 can currently get by with a medium-sized can, but it wouldn't be large enough for 2 weeks. Maybe a trash compactor is in my future?

The pattern:
Paying more and more for less and less.
What next?

Mister Tee, I remember when residents had a lot more choices than 2 haulers. There were no ridiculous and insanely applied hill fees. You did not have to take your cans to the curb (the mini carts came up our driveways - nice for the elderly). There was not debris on the street on collection day. Cans did not end up in curbside garden strips. The monopoly basically put my old hauler (who did a fantastic job) out of business and cut my service level and raised my rates.

As for paying more and more for less and less, my latest PGE bill shows a rate increase part way through the billing period. Going off the grid may be the thing to do for those that can.

Michelle,

I would be careful about using a trash compactor. They have weight limits on the pickup of cans that way lower than the capacity. For example on the 90 gallon cans (the largest) the can is labeled with a 335 pound capacity, but they won't empty the can if it weighs more than 145 pounds. (They will however tell you how much it weighs.) My can was only 2/3 full and weighed 250 pounds...

It might be time to cancel garbage service and just bring little bags to work every day, or drop them in Trimet cans. (I'm paying for that right?) ;) Don't you still get recycling and yard-debris service for free even without garbage service?