Bulk Item Disposal

I think you can set up a pick up with Waste Managment now, but I'm not completley sure. If not, there are some private companies that will dispose of things at a cost.

White goods and some other items can be taken to the mosquito control office on N 393. Call them to verify.

The BCC holds cleanup days throughout the county every month. Commissioner Commander just had one in Portland last weekend. There should be one in December, you can call the landfill to see where it will be held.

White goods and some other items can be taken to the mosquito control office on N 393. Call them to verify.

Confirming that Kurt is indeed correct. We dropped a window A/C unit there recently.

For larger or more stuff, the PC landfill is closer than DeFuniak. They charge a nominal fee, by the pound.

Thanks all. The reason I ask, is I was wondering what a person does who needs to dispose of something and has no vehicle or trailer to haul the item. I've seen things just "sitting" in yards and I wondered why the home dweller didn't just put them out for bulk pickup. Now I know.

So the options are, small things mosquito control. Large things - need a way to haul them to get to PC landfill or DF. What is BCC in order to inquire about cleanup day when they come around to local neighborhoods?

Thanks again
G

Thanks all. The reason I ask, is I was wondering what a person does who needs to dispose of something and has no vehicle or trailer to haul the item. I've seen things just "sitting" in yards and I wondered why the home dweller didn't just put them out for bulk pickup. Now I know.

So the options are, small things mosquito control. Large things - need a way to haul them to get to PC landfill or DF. What is BCC in order to inquire about cleanup day when they come around to local neighborhoods?

Thanks again
G

BCC-Board of County Commissioners. You can check the website they have a calender of events that they post the clean-up days on. Walton County, FL - Home Page The landfill number is 892-8180.

I called the landfill about the next clean-up day. It is Dec 12 from 8-2, on 283 (Bay Dr) 1/4 mile north of 98. They will take old furniture, appliances, and "stuff from around your house." No construction debris or hazard waste.
Mosquito Control takes appliances and electronics all year long now. But they don't take "stuff from around your house" or hazard waste, like not-quite-empty paint cans or stale gasoline or paint thinner, etc. "Amnesty days" for hazard stuff are held only twice a year, spring and fall, at Mosquito Control.
This is something of an improvement but still, imho, inadequate. I missed the fall amnesty day and have a bunch of old paint left behind by a renter that will have to wait until spring. And renovating the vacated unit has meant several trips to DeFuniak.
You still have to have transportation for the stuff you want to take to the clean-up day or to Mosquito Control. A friend or relative with a truck, or you pay someone if you can afford it, or you leave it to rot in your yard.
Unfortunately the cost of gas and the time to go to the landfill has resulted in a lot of trash being dumped in the state forest.
Waste Management only takes "household trash." Anything they deem otherwise they just leave behind.

The county should press Waste Management to offer a bulk pickup on request.

In PCB, Emerald Waste will schedule a bulk pickup for $50 or $75, I forget which. For your appliances, furniture, etc. You put it on the curb, they take it. Meanwhile, they aren't picky about your regular trash. If it fits in the roll-around bin, they take it.

The county should press Waste Management to offer a bulk pickup on request.

In PCB, Emerald Waste will schedule a bulk pickup for $50 or $75, I forget which. For your appliances, furniture, etc. You put it on the curb, they take it. Meanwhile, they aren't picky about your regular trash. If it fits in the roll-around bin, they take it.

While I haven't had to utilize bulk item pickup, it floors me that Waste Management will not do it on request.

I keep hearing solid waste/garbage/etc are issues our county thinks need to be dealt with. I can see why if this is true.

Maybe the BCC should see what other groups have to offer. In this economy they might even save some money for shopping around.

It's not that far to the landfill. Most of my coworkers drive it daily. My spouse often has to drive it several times in a day. 30 minutes to DFS plus another 10 or so north.

It's not that far to the landfill. Most of my coworkers drive it daily. My spouse often has to drive it several times in a day. 30 minutes to DFS plus another 10 or so north.

It's a 75 mile roundtrip for me. Takes most of the morning, uses a few gallons of gas. Fortunately, I have access to a truck. Without that I would have to pay someone for a half day's work.
I guess your spouse has spare time, spare gas $ and flexible work hours?
We cannot have a transfer station here in SoWal because??
We cannot get curbside pickup for a fee because??
We can only safely dispose of hazardous waste twice a year because??
Did we ever get an accounting of the sales tax revenue that we were told would pay for our trash pickup?

Mostly it will get dumped or left in someone's yard if they don't have the means to transport it or only transport it so far.

Even on my dirt road in rural LA we had days for old appliances and mattresses w/no fee.

I am sure that the service will be offered at some near point in the future.

Thanks so much for discussing this w/me and giving me info.

G

It's a 75 mile roundtrip for me. Takes most of the morning, uses a few gallons of gas. Fortunately, I have access to a truck. Without that I would have to pay someone for a half day's work.
I guess your spouse has spare time, spare gas $ and flexible work hours?
We cannot have a transfer station here in SoWal because??
We cannot get curbside pickup for a fee because??
We can only safely dispose of hazardous waste twice a year because??
Did we ever get an accounting of the sales tax revenue that we were told would pay for our trash pickup?

My spouse has very little spare time, thank you, and often he does not know exactly when his spare time will be.
Many of the trips he makes are for work, because the administration building happens to be very close to the landfill. And of course, that is not on our dime. But I cannot count the times that he parks the WCSO vehicle after work and then heads BACK up there to tend to his grandmother, as all of his family lives north of the landfill. And I have been north four times this week - once to landfill and back, once to do grandma's grocery shopping and twice to Walton High for a basketball tournament.

I am sorry that I do not share your angst. Obviously all the things that you stated above that we need, I would like as it would be convenient for me too. But I still consider SoWal fortunate to get household garbage pickup twice a week. Remember, NoWal residents only get it once a week.

I don't think angst is quite the right word. What I really would like to see is a rethinking of the entire trash disposal problem, and my questions were a few of the ones that might point us in that direction, which could ultimately result in resource conservation of all sorts. In previous discussions on this forum, quite a few people in SoWal were willing to swap one of the twice-weekly pickups of household trash for a pickup of recyclables. I have to say, I am quite bothered by the fact that I often end up with any stuff other than recyclables and compostable material, but as long as that remains the case for many of us, I'm in favor of efficiency.
While "suck it up and deal with it, be grateful for what you have" has some validity as an attitude towards life's problems, it also creates an inertia that needs to be overcome before things can change. It isn't just convenience that I'm thinking about.

Next time the county contract with Waste Management is up, it shouldn't be that big of a deal or extra expense to have scheduled quarterly bulk trash days.

We (unincorporated southern Okaloosa in a WM franchise area) have bulk trash once a week as well as 2x week trash, one weekly recycling, and a bonus weekly yard waste pick-up. I've never lived in a place that was so scarily comprehensive about trash collection.

Isn't it pretty typical that if you have a hazardous item or large item (appliance etc.) you have to take it to a designated place like a dump or pay $50-100 for waste management to get it?

An hour to drop off a fridge every so often isn't extreme IMO and you can get a ton picked up or into a construction dumpster w/ minimal effort.

P.S. people put crap in their yard/dump it somewhere because they are lazy slobs, not because of lack of facilities

I don't think angst is quite the right word. What I really would like to see is a rethinking of the entire trash disposal problem, and my questions were a few of the ones that might point us in that direction, which could ultimately result in resource conservation of all sorts. In previous discussions on this forum, quite a few people in SoWal were willing to swap one of the twice-weekly pickups of household trash for a pickup of recyclables. I have to say, I am quite bothered by the fact that I often end up with any stuff other than recyclables and compostable material, but as long as that remains the case for many of us, I'm in favor of efficiency.
While "suck it up and deal with it, be grateful for what you have" has some validity as an attitude towards life's problems, it also creates an inertia that needs to be overcome before things can change. It isn't just convenience that I'm thinking about.

I can be on board with all of those things, as well as what Beachmouse said. We go north frequently; we also haul cans to Freeport, paper and plastic to the recycle bin at PWUMC, and are starting a compost pile. And I am definitely in favor of anything to keep people from dumping in the woods, which IS something I deal with nearly every time I walk my dog and for which there is NO excuse. People who have the means to drive their old appliances, mattresses, et al and dump them on the trails near my home also have the means to go to the landfill.

I'm sorry I crawled you earlier; I just have issues with the thinking that NoWal is another planet, which is the point that I felt was being made. I apparently only see what I want to see when I SoWal early in the morning and late at night. :roll:

Isn't it pretty typical that if you have a hazardous item or large item (appliance etc.) you have to take it to a designated place like a dump or pay $50-100 for waste management to get it?

An hour to drop off a fridge every so often isn't extreme IMO and you can get a ton picked up or into a construction dumpster w/ minimal effort.

P.S. people put crap in their yard/dump it somewhere because they are lazy slobs, not because of lack of facilities

I agree because even when we did have bulk pickup people still dumped on our road!!

But of course, it would be nice to have a day set aside.

OR neighborhood folk could each throw in a couple of bucks and get a dumpster and have spring/fall clean up day. It wouldn't cost much at all, and the spirit of the communal task would be wonderful - imo.

Thanks everyone for such great info and opinions.

G