Hillsborough County will be entertaining waste management options that will possibly reduce garbage pickup in New Tampa’s city and county communities from two days per week to only one.
That stinks, say many.
“I have not talked to one person that likes this idea,” says Mike Jacobson, the president of the Pebble Creek Homeowners Association. “I can’t even believe they’re considering it.”
Hillsborough County solid waste director Kim Byer says the decision isn’t based on how much trash is collected or how many residents actually leave their bins out on both days of pickups, but is purely a financial one that could produce savings for the county of up to 30 percent.
If those savings were significant, they could be passed on to customers, Byer says.
Currently, three companies —Republic Services of Florida, Waste Connections and Waste Management — together handle a $188-million contract to collect garbage, recyclables and yard clippings in Hillsborough County.
The County Commission will review new proposals this fall, and will vote on contractors for a new contract sometime before the end of November (which would go into effect in September 2020, Byer says).
“We say it’s the same garbage, just being picked up one day versus two,” she says.
Part of the process will include the results of an online poll that ended on August 5, which asked participants what they wanted from their waste management services.
More than 13,000 people had taken part in the survey at our press time. Byer says the majority were opposed to cutting weekly trash pickups in half.
District 2 County Commissioner Ken Hagan, who represents the New Tampa area, says it is far more than a majority of residents who are opposed, according to the emails his office has received.
“It’s 98 percent, maybe 99 percent, in support of maintaining twice a week pickups,” Hagan says, adding that he is not in favor of any options that include only once-a-week pickups.
“While once a week collection is definitely cheaper,” Hagan says, “I certainly do not believe it’s in the best interest of our residents and our neighborhoods.”
Because New Tampa is so community-oriented, with Homeowners Associations requiring that trash bins be kept from public view, meaning most likely in your garage.
And, with Florida’s blistering heat, the idea of trash being stored in those conditions for seven days isn’t appealing to most people.
“The concern I have is with no makeup day, and with the disproportionate number of (pickup) days falling on Mondays which are holidays, you could go 2-3 weeks between trash pickups,” says Scott Darby, the Arbor Greene HOA president.
Darby is so concerned that he says he has reached out to all seven commissioners, and only one response — from Hagan — has reflected steadfast opposition. He fears the decision already has been made.
Hagan is more positive, having been through this process three times.
“We’ll look at various proposals,” Hagan says, “and at the end of day, I’m confident we’ll remain with twice-a-week pickup.”
Jennifer Trudel says her unique service and fair prices are keeping her busy during the summer months, when your trash bins are at their stinkiest. (Photo: John C. Cotey)
When dumping your garbage into your trash bin, are you one of those people who open the lid quickly, flick the bag of trash into the bin, and let the lid slam shut as you turn away, hoping to avoid the waft of stink from years of trash bin neglect?
If so, Wesley Chapel resident Jennifer Trudel can help you. A simple phone call can remove the stink — as well as bugs, dried liquids, sticky substances and other left-over trash residue — out of your bins.
Scrub-A-Dub Bin Cleaning, started 18 months ago by Trudel, will come to your home and have your bins looking and smelling brand new. While a fresh trash bin may seem like an oxymoron to some, it actually makes perfect sense, Trudel says.
“With the summer and the heat and people having to keep their trash bins in their garage, bacteria love the warmth and they love moisture and that’s basically what you have in Florida,” she says. “The heat helps bacteria grow, and a lot of people will get maggots, viruses, mold and bacteria they can’t see even see.”
That may be why business has been booming for Trudel. One day last week, she was trying to figure out how she was going to get to all 40 homes on her schedule taken care of in one day. She is considering buying a second truck. And, she says, advertising in the Neighborhood News also has helped keep her busy.
“It’s been crazy,” she says.
How Does It Work?
Scrub-A-Dub Bin Cleaning comes to your home as often as you desire — from just four times per year to monthly — to make sure the trash and recycling bins you drag back into your garage are immaculately clean and fresh-smelling.
One of Jennifer’s first customers was Joshua Green, who lives in Seven Oaks.
“Our trash cans were always in the garage and smelling,” Green says. “It’s gross and no one wants to deal with it.”
He has been pleased with the results.
“They’re nice and clean and look brand new,” says Green, who has been a customer ever since.
Scrub-A-Dub customers leave their bins out on trash day, after the sanitation truck has picked up their trash and/or recycling. That’s when Jennifer comes by, opens the bin and uses a grabber to pull out any trash left behind, then loads the bins into her truck, and the “magic” begins.
The bins are raised above the truck and centered around a head that spins and blasts 200-degree water.
“Imagine a giant dishwasher for your bin,” she says.
For an initial cleaning, Jennifer will scrub using a biodegradable degreaser to clean the inside of the bin — she says that sometimes she even has to climb inside the bin — and then runs it through the truck’s process again.
She pressure-sprays the outside of the lid, wipes the handles and the inside and outside of the lid — anywhere your hands might touch. Then, she says the bin no longer has an odor, but she wants it to smell good, so she adds a deodorizer. Then, she wipes out any excess water.
“It’s overkill, but I do it because I’m a type-A person,” Jennifer laughs. “I want the bin to look beautiful, and every customer to be wowed.”
Jennifer says that some people might say, “It’s a garbage can. It’s supposed to be dirty,” and she says she can understand that, even though she disagrees.
“No one wants to deal with nasty garbage cans that smell, and maggots are a big problem with bins that aren’t cleaned regularly,” Jennifer says.
Environmentally Friendly, Too!
Jennifer says that all of the cleaning products she uses — including the degreaser, disinfectant and deodorizer — are biodegradable.
“Let’s say you use vinegar; that doesn’t kill bacteria,” she explains. “Bleach kills bacteria but it’s super toxic and bad for the lakes and ponds.”
With Scrub-A-Dub, all of the water for cleaning comes from a 525-gallon tank inside the truck, which is filled with fresh water. And, it’s heated to a temperature much higher than anything you would use to clean your home.
She says the dirty water that is rinsed out of the inside of your bins goes into the truck and is disposed of according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines.
Easy & Affordable
To sign up, visit ScrubADubBins.com. You will pay an annual fee up front, based upon how often you want your bins cleaned, and whether you have one or two bins.
The prices for the year for one bin are $65 (for quarterly cleanings), $85 (for bi-monthly cleanings) and $135 (for monthly cleanings).
For two bins — don’t forget that recycling bin, which probably gets as much stickiness if not more due to nearly-but-not-quite-finished cans and cartons of soda, juice and milk — the prices are $110 (for quarterly cleanings), $135 (for bi-monthly cleanings) and $240 (for monthly cleanings).
And, you’re never locked into a contract with Scrub-a-Dub — cancel at anytime and Jennifer will pro-rate your refund. If you get a single cleaning for $30 and decide to sign up for the year, she will apply the $30 to whatever deal you choose.
Jennifer always sends a reminder text the day before, giving customers the opportunity to confirm their appointment or to let her know if they need to postpone their service due to going out of town, or for any other reason.
“People pay for all kind of things, like mowing the grass or pulling weeds,” Green says. “It’s just stuff we honestly don’t want to do, and I think it’s worth it.”
Not Just A Job
Trudel has lived in the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area since 1996. While serving the community as a pharmacist in Tampa, she dreamed of one day owning her own business.
When she says the stress of her previous job pushed her to consider early retirement, she started researching what she could do next.
An acquaintance in another part of Florida raved about Jennifer’s sparkling clean trash bins on social media, and Jennifer recognized the opportunity to create an innovative business that would be totally new to the Wesley Chapel and New Tampa areas — and the perfect fit for her admitted neat-freak personality.
“This is not just a job for me,” says Jennifer proudly. “It’s my life.”
She says that while she always loved serving her community as a pharmacist, being a business owner is different.
“I moved to Cross Creek in 1996 and then to Seven Oaks in 2003. I feel connected to the area and I’ve seen it explode. Now, I feel more a part of the community.” Jennifer also has been a regular exhibitor at the annual Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel since it moved to AdventHealth (formerly Florida Hospital) Center Ice three years ago.
As a pharmacist, she says she used to sit in a room all day and, at the end of the day, she would leave the same four walls and experience the shock of being outside for the first time each day.
But now, she says she loves driving around Wesley Chapel and New Tampa, meeting people at their homes, and she especially loves driving the truck. “It’s so fun!” she says.
Jennifer’s husband Jeff now helps her with the business, while also working for a pharmaceutical company. Their grown children are now 27, 23, 20 and 19.
She says her best customers are those who spread the word about her service. That’s why she offers a free cleaning for every referral.
She says it is a unique business, and often the reaction she gets is “Wow, I didn’t even know this existed.” Considering they can sign up and pay for one cleaning before deciding to do more, she says her customers have nearly nothing to lose.
“It’s a personal service,” she says. “It’s not just some company that cleans your bins; it’s Jennifer from Scrub-A-Dub!”
To sign up for Scrub-A-Dub Bin Cleaning or for more information, visit ScrubADubBins.com. You can also call Scrub-A-Dub at its toll-free number, (844) 727-8229 (844-SCRUBBY).
