Yesterday our neighbors came over to ask if we had seen or perhaps had their recycling bin. I remembered reading a discussion on these bins being taken which I then found at Toledo Talk in a post written by SJD.
In the thread Sherry stated that her recycle bin that they've had for years was also recently "taken".
Maggie Thurber stated stickers could be gotten from Keep Toledo/Lucas County Beautiful. So I set out to try to do that. After dealing with the interesting phone prompt system and discovering the first person I was electronically sent to was on vacation until sometime in August, I called back. Then I was shuffled over to another part of their system. You only have two options - either 1 which is about programs and doesn't seem to get you to a live person or 2 - staff list which doesn't seem to get you to a live person either.
I didn't have any luck getting a live person but I left a few voice mails. Then I found the State Website which gave me contact numbers. It was then suggested by the only live soul that I was able to talk with at the Lucas County Solid Waste Management District that I try a different number within the Lucas County phone system...no luck getting a live person or figuring out a way to get to the information I needed thru that phone prompt system though I did hear some very interesting recordings as to what can be dropped off.
So I sent an email...I'll keep you posted on what I discover but I do know from what I've gone thru the past hour in trying to get this information? You really have to want to recycle in Lucas County to go thru this for simple information on where to get a sticker or a bin...I realize almost every place including government no longer has real people answer phones anymore but I miss the ability to actually talk to someone though it could be worse, it could be one of those voice activated response systems. I hate those...
WOOOHOOO! The way to get a recycling sticker and have your call answered by a live person is to call the City of Toledo...Division of Solid Waste at 419-936-2489. That's also the number you want to call to report if your bin was taken. Not sure what happens but I told them what happened yesterday with my neighbor and they are mailing me two stickers one for us and one for them. I thanked the person I talked to most profusely and told her my adventures in trying to get a sticker. I also should thank "aperson" from the Toledo Talk thread because after re-reading that I saw their advice to call the city directly.
So the moral of the story is after an hour and a half spent trying to get the information from Lucas County a quick phone call to the City netted results.
:-)
Update: I did receive an email just a few moments ago that gave me the contact information for the City's Division of Solid Waste. As well as in the comments I noted I received a call back from one of my voice mail messages. So in all fairness even though the prompt system makes it difficult, you do get a response from the County as far as directing you to the right place to get stickers.
Update 2 7/29: Mail arrived today from both Toledo Solid Waste Division and Keep Toledo/Lucas County Beautiful. Toledo sent me the two stickers requested for myself and my neighbor. Keep Toledo/Lucas County Beautiful sent me as promised a packet of not only more stickers but brochures and schedules so that I can promote recycling.
Thank you to both for mailing these to me so quickly.
:-)
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18 comments:
The automated answering system craze is out of control. Only time one didn't get on my nerves was the time I called a company in Minnesota and suddenly, in the midst of the usual rigmarole heard "to hear an elk bellow, press five."
I admit to talking to the voice prompt systems - especially when they tell me they are sorry they did not understand my last answer...
:-)
Lisa - this is terrible! Just so everyone knows, the KTLCB is a separate entity and not under the control of the commissioners. BUT...I'll pass along the frustrations and see if we can get some things corrected in their voice mail system.
Thanks for the clarification Maggie on that particular department not being under your area of control. The gentleman I spoke with at the Lucas County Solid Waste Divsion did answer his phone and tried to be helpful in giving me a different number to try.
In the end...I did get a call back from one of my voicemail messages thru the Public Service Division and was told what I had discovered, that they direct people to the City of Toledo Waste Management Division to get stickers.
I thanked her for returning my call. :-)
http://www.co.lucas.oh.us/lcswmd/
That is the website you are directed to during one of the phone prompt messages. Maybe an easy way for the future would be just to add a short item on where people can get stickers.
Now - just try to remember which week of the recyclables cycle (A or B) you are on.
Toledo only picks up recyclables every other week in each neighborhood. I end up going to the county bins at Kroger because I forget.
BTW -
Here is the City of Toledo's "A/B" recycling schedule.
You have to call 419-936-2489 to find out if you are an "A" or "B" team member...err...street.
Also -
I absolutely DETEST voice tree/ automated answering systems.
Most times I just hit "0" to get a live person and end my irritation.
EEK! I'm A team (which I know since the neighbors had their recycle bin taken yesterday :-)
I have extra stickers and schedules on the way to me thanks to my emailing this afternoon and the very nice response from Lucas County. Time to get more neighbors recycling!
(Yes I imagine the protests about me living in this neighborhood are not far behind....)
:-)
Mike - hitting 0 doesn't work with their prompt system - you get either 1 or 2 and it keeps repeating - I never got another option and pressing 0 didn't seem to do much...
Toledo does have the ability to stay on the line but so far my contacts within the County haven't had that so if you don't have a touch tone phone? It would be a problem.
In some systems, when zero doesn't work, pressing zero twice gets you through. Not always, but it's worth a try. You can tell I've spent a lot of time dealing with the confounded things.
I'll have to try that Jeffrey - I end up making lots of phone calls for not only myself or blog stuff but for my older bunch.
The company hired to handle the debit card system for Ohio's Child support is horrible but the worst one I've ever ran into is Cricket Phone service. SBC and AOL would also be high on my list of ones I hate to ever deal with.
:-)
Lisa - hopefully you got my email...KTLCB is going to change some of their messages to direct people properly. If you hadn't had such trouble and blogged about, we wouldn't have known and no corrections would have been taken.
Imagine how many people had problems but never complained?
I did get your email - thank you Maggie!
I didn't really set out to do a blog post on this but you are right there probably have been others who were not as stubborn. My neighbors were not even sure who to contact when they told me their bin was taken. I think it is part not enough ease of finding information and partly because most people don't pay attention because they take city services or county services for granted.
I'm glad the website is going to be updated, just a small blurb on if you need a sticker call here will make it easy for anyone else who looks there first.
As I pointed out in my update and in the comments, when I did get the response from the County it was very helpful. I'm also glad the phone prompt system is going to be looked at. In the end as I told the one person I had contact with, I learned a lot which I have shared.
Now if we could find out who is taking those bins! Which I think is not going to be as easy to solve as this one was in the end.
:-)
Lisa,
I posted this reply to one of your comments in a thread titled Beverage Can Deposits to Encourage Recycling, Is it Time? on my blog here.
It believe that it was posted a few days ago…
As for the missing recycling bins, I hear that they make excellent pot plant pots ;-)
Thanks Hooda I did find out we were "A" when I learned about the neighbors looking for their missing recycle bin. It doesn't look like many on this street participate but maybe that will soon change.
:-)
So, I had two bins (one for paper and one for glass, cans and plastic - as required). The paper bin had a crack in it on the side - NOT where the handle was. The crack became a break of about 3 inches. But it didn't impact your ability to pick it up or handle the amount of paper we usually have it in after 2 weeks.
Last week, the recycler operator dumped the paper and threw the bin in the glass/can/paper recepticle. Maybe that's what's happening to our bins....
Maggie, that could be but my neighbor stated their bin was not cracked and it was one of the "official" recycle bins given out before the switch to stickers.
So now you have to go thru getting a new sticker and a new bin...Well at least we have that part of the process down. :-)
Do, that is an amazing list! Thank you!
:-)
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