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JustHereForCookies17 t1_j6es56t wrote

I'm not who you asked, but I believe that most single-family homes and similar dwellings (duplexes, rowhouses, etc.) are typically provided with a trashcan & recycling bin by DC govt. In my neighborhood the weekly pick-up is from the alley, so lots of folks leave their bins in the alley 24/7. I'm assuming u/ekkidee is referencing a similar set-up.

Personally, I'm torn on this particular circumstance. If the trash collectors dump the entire can/bin into the truck, then a couple loose poop bags shouldn't really matter. But if they instead grab the bags by hand & toss them into the truck, then those little poop bags will usually get left behind, sometimes for weeks, and that's a very unpleasant smell, especially in the summer. Obviously trash rarely smells good, but aged dog poop is it's own special level of yuck.

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ekkidee t1_j6fqtd3 wrote

>But if they instead grab the bags by hand & toss them into the truck,

That is exactly what happens. And I don't leave bins in the alley; the dumping seems to happen on trash collection days.

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JustHereForCookies17 t1_j6ftuh8 wrote

Totally fair. I've grown up with dogs in addition to being a paid dogwalker, and I hear you.

I wish there was more consistency in how the cans were emptied, so that walkers could use any old bin & it wouldn't affect the bin owners like yourself. But heaven knows I'm not about to try & tell garbage collectors how to do their jobs.

IDK if it would solve anything, but if you feel so inclined, you could put a "No Poop Bags, Please" sign on the inside of your trashcan lid. Some people genuinely might not realize that the bags are grabbed individually, rather than the whole can getting upended into the garbage truck.

Edit: actually, this would be a great opportunity for an XKCD-esque diagram illustrating why you don't want poop bags in your bin. Should such a sign be necessary? Ehhh, probably not. Could it be effective? I'd like to think so, but I'm an optimist. YMMV.

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ekkidee t1_j6fznwd wrote

Honestly I wouldn't mind at all if the bins were totally emptied. You know, out of sight, out of mind. It's gone when I roll 'em back up to the rear.

+1 on the XKCD thing.

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