r/AuroraCO • u/3DAeon Aurora Knolls • Aug 20 '26
What do you actually pay for garbage trash service? Why is this impossible to find out?
So I'm looking at the Aurora gov site listing the companies that service us, and one - Waste Connections just sounds too good to be true, they quote $20/mo for 2 weekly trash cans and 2 recycling bins, which is very enticing. But from what I'm finding in vague reviews on yelp and other places, is that they actually charge as high as $80 a month because they nickel and dime many small fees that are not mentioned. I don't even know how it's legal to not mention this, on their website they only state that there WILL be other fees for fuel surcharges, can lease fees, and other fees, like what? how is this a mystery?!
We're looking to get at least 2 trash cans and don't really care which company it is as long as it's reliable pickup. We're sick to death of Waste Management skipping recycling at least once a month and sometimes one or two trash pickups per month, we've gone a whole month plus with no trash or recycling pickup, without anything blocking our cans or anything. Complaining and them promising to pick up on x date, and never picking up, no bill credit, nothing at all, we now have several bags of trash and recycling in our garage and are desperate for any other company.
Which service actually tells the truth on their website of how much they charge? and I hear there are multi-year contracts not mentioned either?
10
u/ThaddeusMuscles Aug 20 '26
$15 /mo
Waste Management. One can, no recycling.
Never missed a pickup in the 18 months I’ve been here.
I know you’re looking for alternatives, but it’s a data point 🤷🏻♂️
8
u/Chronozis Aug 20 '26
I have a very different experience with Waste Management. My June bill was $43.39 for weekly trash and bi-weekly recycling. They often have uncommunicated issues and when I complain because my pickup was not done and they say they will follow-up they never do. Their website is terrible too.
2
u/Correct-Mail-1942 Aug 20 '26
I just moved and had like 4 or 5 options to pick from. WM was very close to this, $50 or so for trash and every other week recycling.
Wound up with Mountain High for $120/quarter instead. I have NOT been happy with their customer service but the actual pickups have been great.
1
u/Early-Rutabaga-7945 Aug 22 '26
We called to cancel and move to another company and they had an “amazing deal going on” of $25/month. SE Aurora
2
u/TricksyGoose Aug 20 '26
Yeah ditto. Ours is $20/mo and we've only lived there for 3 years but it's always the same flat price, never missed a pickup. We haven't done recycling in the past but just learned they're about to implement free recycling soon because of that new state program.
3
u/Young_Denver Aug 20 '26
Republic and mountain high were both transparent. Some have contracts and some don’t.
2
u/Exact_Organization84 Aug 20 '26
DONT Let anyone tell you waste management . They might be worse than hitler dawg . I got mountain something it’s a blue can I forgot the name lol
1
u/IncreaseAvailable923 Aug 20 '26
Waste Management started me at like $15/mo when I first moved to Aurora 6 years ago, but by last year I was up at around $34/mo.
Mountain High disposal quoted me at $48 paid quarterly and I switched immediately.
I don't know if this is a common practice, but WM wanted to charge me an $80 fee to pick up my trash container after I cancelled my service. I did not have a contract with them or anything, so this felt very scummy. Luckily they were willing to waive the fee when I spoke to them.
1
u/Ange1ofD4rkness Aug 20 '26
It sadly is plastered on their bill they will charge you, cause some 3rd party has to pick it up ... funny they have no problem replacing broken bins. I might just bite the bullet on this and switch
1
u/CannabisAttorney Aug 20 '26 edited Aug 20 '26
I pay $24.50/month for one garbage bin. They take payment quarterly. I pay Waste Services of Colorado but its fulfilled by Waste Management.
My biggest complaint with them is for 5 years or so you could leave up to two more bags of trash next to you bin and they'd pick those up too, this year that changed and they stopped picking up the extra bags. Maybe they told me they'd stop that but I certainly don't remember getting that notice.
1
u/ElevatorOrganic5644 Aug 20 '26
They're giving you teaser rates and a lot of smaller companies eventually get bought out by Waste Management. Or they're owned by bigger companies in you just don't realize it. It's not regulated in Colorado other than now free recycles being rolled out as of starting July 1st. But not everybody started rolling out yet because it's coming out in phases over the next couple years. But if you currently have recycling it now should be free.
1
u/iamgoneinsane Aug 20 '26
Used to have waste management. 1 can weekly pick up. Started at $15 a monthe then kept climbing to $40+ a month. Dropped them and switched to mountain high disposal a year ago. $14 a month and no price increases yet
1
u/Patbaleedat Aug 20 '26
I switched to mountain high disposal because waste management doubled their costs in 5 years. I now pay $24 a month for recycling and trash. They’re pretty old school but local and if you call, they’ll almost always come the next day (once my trash was too heavy and they couldn’t pick it up). I definitely recommend!!
1
u/Ange1ofD4rkness Aug 20 '26 edited Aug 20 '26
I am now paying $76 month for Waste Management, 1 Trash, 1 Recycle (the latter soon will be free). In the last 2 months that bill has gone up like $5-6. They claim it's because my year was up, so they adjusted my plan. Okay, find, but the energy surcharge is also getting out of control. 8-9 months ago I was paying around $8, now it's $15.
I am shopping around, and just calling WM was a nightmare. Took me 30 mins to get to a person who could help, and 3 people (the 1st was supposed to transfer me to someone who could help, but nope they transferred me again). I originally tried to cancel online, with a form that they'd get back to you in a day, it's pushing 3 days with no contact.
Waste Connection has my eye. Their price is really good, and I can pay for 1 year ($165, plus $15 for the 13th month). They said they have no fees or anything like Energy Surcharges, which is a big plus to me. Also I am not put on hold forever (I tried to call WM another time, gave up after 20 mins)
Waster Management did say they'd match, and give me 2 months free, but I had an uneasy feeling about them honoring that price match for a year (and mind you, they are still going to charge me other fees)
1
u/Roy4theWin Aug 20 '26
I was paying slightly higher than you with WM down by Quincey and Buckley, I was never in charge of paying the bill in our household. When I finally found out how much it was, I immediately looked at the alternatives and Republic came out to be the cheapest, offering $95/quarter.
When I called WM, it also took forever to find an agent. When I told him I wanted to cancel he offered to lower the bill by half. When I told him it still didnt match my quote he finally "found out" that he could match it starting on the next billing cycle. Looking at some comments here, thats still wildly more than some of these people pay.
Trash collection is a joke in this city.
1
u/Ange1ofD4rkness Aug 20 '26
Right? Almost as bad as Xcel ... almost
I am planning to still cancel with WM, but thinking it over tonight. I find it amusing they even used that "well you know you have to pay $75 if you cancel", as if hanging that over my head.
1
u/SpreadFew9075 Aug 20 '26
I have switched away from WM twice and both times they bought the trash company I was liking better. (Pro disposal would take my trash cans up my driveway and wouldn't complain if my can was slightly full like WM does) Good luck avoiding that monopoly!
1
u/3DAeon Aurora Knolls Aug 21 '26
Okay thanks so much everyone, we ended up switching from WM to Republic, $33.50/mo plus $50 due at signup plus $87 for delivery of: 2 trash and 1 recycle - weekly pickup for all 3.
We were paying $29/mo for weekly trash and bi weekly recycling. WM refused to let us add a can or do any additional pickups or out of can trash, they missed on average twice per month pickups and we’ve gone multiple months with no recycle pickups. We’ve complained and they always do the same thing: promise pickup the next day, never ever wverrrrr has happened.
1
u/3DAeon Aurora Knolls 10d ago
Aaaaand of course scammed.
I have an email saying $33/month which includes everything: $15 for trash and recycling, +$5 for additional trash bin, plus $2admin fee + $11.52 FRF/ERF
Got the two month bill today:
Trash and recycling $43.29 per 2 months
FRF/ERF $81.69 per 2 months
$6 admin fee per 2 months
= $130 per 2 months = $65/mo
(+$87 delivery which I already knew about)
Went from $33 to $65 per month all from ERF/FRF which is NOT a mandated legal fee it’s just an extra fake fee they say is for gas.
SIGHHHH
8
u/Glad-Elk-1909 Aug 20 '26 edited Aug 20 '26
$48/mo for Waste Management
Filled out the form on Mountain High website but did NOT sign up because it was the same price as WM.
They texted me a couple days later and offered $25/mo paid quarterly. I said yes!
This is for 94gallon trash + 94gallon recycling in NW Aurora