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So this is not the first time I've seen the garbage man repeatedly kick my garbage bags before picking up my trash....and not the first time he's split open the bag and then left it on the sidewalk! I could hear them coming down the street as I happened to be by my window, and saw him do this! He was complaining to his partner the whole time, and swearing a lot, while parents were walking their kids to the elementary school down the block. I wanted to go out and confront him, but was intimidated by his anger (and size!) I'm afraid to call 311 and complain, because I don't want to deal with repurcussions of them 'forgetting' to pick up my trash....anyone else ever have this problem? How did you deal with it?
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You did something to piss him off. Did you put unwrapped broken glass into the garbage bag or something?Ok, now I'm crazy. Another goal achieved.
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Nope. It was regular garbage in a black bag, not super heavy, not full of recycling. We are always really careful with how we bag/tie/etc our trash. if we have wood, we follow the sanitation guidelines and bundle it, make sure it's not longer than 4 feet. we've never thrown out glass. or anything toxic. We're really conscientious and respectful of their safety, perhaps moreso than most, because I've known sanitation workers and know what they deal with. I don't get it.
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Our garbagemen haven't kicked around the trash (that I know of) but they definitely get in a pissy mood when they have to work overtime (when it snows and they have to pick up the garbage at night or when there's been a holiday and garbage pickup is backed up). That's when they sling the bins around and leave them on their sides rolling onto the street and sidewalk.
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Be very careful about confronting them. I would not recommend it (whether you're male or female). Call 311 and they will refer you to the proper supervisor. S/he will ask you for your address and you should just have a fake one (on your block but not a real address) to give them so they will know what block the complaint is coming from (and can fix it) without you having to suffer retaliation. Good luck!
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Subject: Re: Garbage pickup problems
honeycut » So this is not the first time I've seen the garbage man repeatedly kick my garbage bags before picking up my trash....and not the first time he's split open the bag and then left it on the sidewalk! I could hear them coming down the street as I happened to be by my window, and saw him do this! He was complaining to his partner the whole time, and swearing a lot, while parents were walking their kids to the elementary school down the block. I wanted to go out and confront him, but was intimidated by his anger (and size!) I'm afraid to call 311 and complain, because I don't want to deal with repurcussions of them 'forgetting' to pick up my trash....anyone else ever have this problem? How did you deal with it?
One thing you could do is buy some garbage cans & stick your bags inside them. He may be kicking them because there may be rats in your area and that is one way they get them to move along. Also black bags are kind of a red flag to sanitation workers as they are often used to hide unrecycled trash. Maybe lots of your neighbors are too lazy to recycle and he's just pissed off about that. You could try buying white trash bags and put them inside a can. Don't give them any excuse not to take your trash as the crew could also just be a couple of lazy a-holes. You can also send the Sanitation Commissioner a message off the NYC website as that got me a quick response once when they wouldn't take some bulk trash that I had put outside my house. Don't be afraid to complain as you are a New Yorker and that's what we do best!
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