If you are moving homes, whether the first time to this area, or moving around within our town of Sandpoint, you likely are going to have to think about how you are going to do away with your garbage! In our area, you actually have a choice, you can opt for the pickup of your trash via Waste Management, or you can take the garbage to your local waste disposal site.

So let’s dig into the pros and cons of each, and see which one might work best for you!

Waste Management Pickup

Waste Management is the trash removal company that serves our Sandpoint region. It comes to your home weekly, and you can sign up for trash pick-up service. You also have the choice of having them take away yard trash, food waste, or even bundled brush!

How do you get signed up?

Once you have moved into your new home, or rental, you can easily contact Waste Management by phone, or even visiting their facility. Alternatively you can also sign up on their website. The Sandpoint info is below (or you can contact them here):

  • Address: 825 Kootenai Cutoff Rd, Ponderay, ID 83852
  • Phone: (208) 263-2432
  • Website

What is the collection Schedule?

Because Waste Management is working constantly, they have a collection schedule put together for their customers, which means that depending on where our home is, your garbage will get picked up on a specific day every week. If you want to see Sandpoint’s schedule you can see it right here!

Pros & Cons of getting your trash picked up?

Pros

  • You don’t have to think about your garbage other than the day you take it out.
  • You have a pre-determined container to put your waste in.
  • You can recycle easily.
  • It is great for people who can’t easily leave their homes.
  • Great for people that don’t have a truck or trailer.

Cons

  • It does cost money.
  • It costs extra if you have more garbage than fits in your provided container.
  • If you forget to take out the garbage on the determined day, you have to wait another week.

Taking the garbage to the dump

The main alternative to getting your garbage picked up at your street side, is to take the garbage to the waste center yourself! This generally involved putting your garbage in the back of a pickup, or a trailer, and transporting it to the dump yourself to then be off-loaded into the different areas of the dump, whether it be the wood pile, waste pile, metals, etc.

How do you get stickers for your vehicle?

Stickers to access any of the Bonner County dump sites is easily purchased online, or in person! You can get up to 2 stickers if you own a home and pay the fee, and then there will be an additional charge for any more than that.

These stickers allow you access to any of the different waste sites in Bonner County! The one we mainly utilize and is easiest to access from Sandpoint is down Hwy 2, turn right on Colburn and drive about a mile. After taking a right, you will find the facility.

How much does it cost to take items to the dump?

On an individual time basis, you don’t have to pay anything if you have paid the original fees! That cost is $185.00 for the year, and is $5 extra per sticker if you want more than that.

There are also some other fees depending on what items your bring, so make sure to read through this article where it discusses those more in depth.

Pros & Cons of taking your garbage to the dump yourself?

Pros

  • You can take your garbage whenever you want.
  • No worries about larger items being thrown away.
  • Great option for those that live in the more rural areas, and don’t get the WM Service.
  • You don’t have to remember what day of the week the garbage truck will come by every week.

Cons

  • You have to take all of your garbage yourself.
  • If you don’t have a truck, or an SUV with a trailer, it becomes difficult to store, and transport your waste.
  • Sorting through your garbage at the dump itself can be a pain.

So which should you choose?

One of the awesome things about these two options, is that you actually don’t have to choose one or the other! You can actually use both options if you want to.

However for convenience sake, using Waste Management’s pickup is a great way to save yourself some time, and highly recommend it.

Conclusion

Never did I think that I would be writing articles that compare these two things, but it actually turned out to be a lot of fun!

I hope this helped you decide which direction you and your family are going to go while moving into, or around our awesome small town.