Help Me Take Out the Trash

[Jim Katen]

My gravel driveway is about 1/4 mile long, steep, and winding. Putting out the trash is a pain and it's about to get worse now that my trash hauler gave me a shiny new recycling container. In the past, we used little red boxes which I could stack in my car. This new thing is enormous. I could fit two deer and Miss Twin Peaks in there. No way is it going to fit in my car.

What I'd like is a miniature trailer, just big enough to fit the rolling trash bin and the gigantic recycling bin. I don't want to spend a lot of money on it and I don't want to have to fuss with it every week. It'd be nice to just back up to it, attach it to the hitch, and drive down to the bottom of the driveway. Unfortunately, I can't find such a thing, at least not for a reasonable price. I've found small cargo carriers that are cheap and would work, but they're heavy and I can't see myself wrestling with one of those things in the rain once a week.

So I'm looking for a clever solution that requires minimum effort, time, and expense. Any good lateral thinkers out there?

[Richard Moore]

Keep the red boxes at the house and leave the big bins down near the street. Maybe build a cute little pen or garage for them? Done right, you could reach them from your driver's window on your way out to dump smaller stuff or bags of garbage. Drive the red boxes down to empty them as needed. On collection day you would just have to wheel the bins a few yards to the street.

[ghentjr]

http://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Cargo-Car ... 18132.html

[Erby]

Because they were too cheap to buy one, a couple of my friends around here, who have the same type of driveway problem, manufactured something like this for their hitch ball.

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Or perhaps one of these images may spur your imagination.

https://www.google.com/search?q=trash+c ... 53&bih=428

[kurt]

Burn the garbage. It works in China.

[Bill Kibbel]

Trailers for your lawn tractor are really cheap and light. I picked up a dump cart at tractor supply for less than it would cost to build one. I just needed it for one project.

[John Kogel]

Lots of garbage can trailer hitches in Erby's link. You'll want to put some real wheels on those bins so they roll nice on gravel, but keep them light for the poor overworked garbage guys.

Don't forget to stop at the road to unhook the stupid things. []

[Chad Fabry]

harbor freight trailers

I have a Gator- you need one and this is a good excuse.

[kurt]

I think explosives provide a much more interesting alternative than some silly trailer.

[Les]

What ever happened to composting and recycling. Me and mine have precious little residue as a result of our living. Maybe a shoebox or so every 90days.

[Les]

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my backyard after the spring thaw.

I don't need no stinkin dumpster.

[mjr6550]

I would second a Harbor Freight trailer with a 20% off Coupon. You could get the little dump trailer for about $100.

... or maybe you need a dump truck and a Bobcat to maintain the driveway. I'm always looking for excuses to buy new toys.

[gtblum]

You're a 1/4 mile from the road? I like Kurt's first idea.

[Jim Katen]

Keep the red boxes at the house and leave the big bins down near the street. Maybe build a cute little pen or garage for them? Done right, you could reach them from your driver's window on your way out to dump smaller stuff or bags of garbage. Drive the red boxes down to empty them as needed. On collection day you would just have to wheel the bins a few yards to the street.

It's a good idea. However, we have some young people in my area who take delight in messing with my bins. One of their favorite pastimes is rolling the bin out to the middle of the street, and pushing it down the hill with their car bumper until it gets up a good head of steam, then slamming on their brakes, sending the bin spilling down the middle of the road, scattering its contents in every direction. After cleaning up that mess a few times, I stopped putting anything down there until the day of pickup.

Still, I might construct a camouflaged bin hut . . .

[Jim Katen]

Because they were too cheap to buy one, a couple of my friends around here, who have the same type of driveway problem, manufactured something like this for their hitch ball.

Click to Enlarge

23.34 KB

Or perhaps one of these images may spur your imagination.

https://www.google.com/search?q=trash+c ... 53&bih=428

One of those might work. It can't be anything that relies on the wheels on the bins, though. My driveway is much too rough for them. They'd be bouncing all over creation.

[Jim Katen]

Burn the garbage. It works in China.

Did that for years - everyone near me did. The times have changed, though, and I'm just tired of it.

[John Kogel]

You just need a better car with a real trunk. Like this Plymouth I spotted today at lunch.

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[Jim Katen]

What ever happened to composting and recycling. Me and mine have precious little residue as a result of our living. Maybe a shoebox or so every 90days.

We do both. The volume of recyclables far outstrips the volume of trash, but it all has to get to the bottom of the driveway.

[Jim Katen]

harbor freight trailers

I have a Gator- you need one and this is a good excuse.

I have a perfectly good trailer, it's just too big and unwieldy for this job. Gators are great, but not during the Oregon winter. . .

[Jim Katen]

OK, I'm looking at the dual version of this thing:

http://www.cansporter.com/index/Order_Product

[Jim Katen]

You just need a better car with a real trunk. Like this Plymouth I spotted today at lunch.

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Looks like it's going backwards.

[Bill Kibbel]

OK, I'm looking at the dual version of this thing:

http://www.cansporter.com/index/Order_Product

Couldn't you just make that? The little trailer I bought was half that price.

[kurt]

I was joking about burning garbage. Horrible practice.

[gtblum]

I was joking about burning garbage. Horrible practice.

Don't be a sissy.

If you burn the garbage, you can compost the ash, recycle the metal, and save the environment from the garbage truck exhaust, brake dust, oil, and the wear and tear on the tires.

Not to mention the same from whatever Jim drives to make the 1/2 mile round trip to the road. It's a win win. []

[hoosier inspector]

Keep the red boxes at the house and leave the big bins down near the street. Maybe build a cute little pen or garage for them? Done right, you could reach them from your driver's window on your way out to dump smaller stuff or bags of garbage. Drive the red boxes down to empty them as needed. On collection day you would just have to wheel the bins a few yards to the street.

It's a good idea. However, we have some young people in my area who take delight in messing with my bins. One of their favorite pastimes is rolling the bin out to the middle of the street, and pushing it down the hill with their car bumper until it gets up a good head of steam, then slamming on their brakes, sending the bin spilling down the middle of the road, scattering its contents in every direction. After cleaning up that mess a few times, I stopped putting anything down there until the day of pickup.

Still, I might construct a camouflaged bin hut . . .

Oh shoot, that was you?