Trash Service in Fort Mill, SC - The joys of privatization

So over the past week, I've been doing some research on garbage pickup in Fort Mill, SC. I ended up having to do the research because I was asked about service in the area and neither the county, nor city, nor Google had any information. It turns out that in York County, SC there is no such thing as coordination!

In the Fort Mill Township areas of York County SC, trash pickup is a totally private affair. You have to go to the yellow pages, call around and find someone who services your area. There are a few different companies and prices and service vary widely.

I needed to know about Regent Park, specifically Baden Village at Regent Park, but I couldn't find a single page on the internet with more than a sentence about it. In the information age, you would think the county or even the city would have this info on their website. Nope. And if you call them, they just refer you to the yellow pages. What if you don't live there and don't have a printed copy of the yellow pages?! Comporium, the local phone company in Fort Mill, does not have squat on their website. I searched for "trash service" in Fort Mill and got 1 result - for a company that serves Indian Land & Van Wyck, not Fort Mill! Grrr!

Thus I set off on a research project to find out who actually provides garbage service in Regent Park. And in case you found this page looking for the same, here were my results:

Garbage Options in Regent Park, Fort Mill, SC

1) Sharon Trash Service (STS)
2120 Garvin Road
York, SC 29745
803-684-7777

- Offers service weekly or twice a weekly.
- Weekly = $22/mo
- Twice Weekly = $25/mo
- Pick up days, Tuesday and Thursday.
- Recycling at no charge. Picked up on Thursdays. Customer provides own box or bags in clear plastic.
- Billed quarterly by mailed invoice, 1st day of quarter.
- Payments accepted: Check via mail, Money Order via mail

2) Morningstar Waste Services Inc (Not affiliated in any way to MorningStar Church)
651 Red River Road
Rock Hill SC 29730-7434
(803) 324-2966

- Offers service weekly.
- Weekly = $17/mo
- To get the $17 rate, tell them Daniel Pentecost sent you. Usual rate is $22/mo.
- Pick up day, Thursday.
- Recycling at no charge. Picked up on Thursdays. Customer provides own box for recycling or bags recycle items in clear plastic.
- Billed quarterly by mailed invoice, 1st day of quarter. 1st quarter prorated.
- Payments accepted: Check via mail, Money Order via mail

3) Signature Waste Systems
660 Westinghouse Blvd,
Ste 106
Charlotte, NC 28273
704-714-9400
- Offers service weekly.
- Provides 2 rolling carts. 1 for trash, 1 for recycle.
- Weekly = $23/mo
- Trash pick up day, Wednesday.
- Recycle picked up every other Friday
- New Customers receive first month free ($46 billed for 1st quarter of service)
- Payments Accepted: Check via mail, Money Order via mail, Credit cards incur 5% service fee

4) Allied Waste Services of Fort Mill
3358 HWY 51
FORT MILL, SC 29715
(704) 377-0161
- Trash pickup available with and without recycling
- Weekly w/o recycle = $34.95/mo (104.85 billed quarterly)
- Weekly w/ recycle = $37.97/mo (113.90 billed quarterly)
- Payments Accepted: Check via mail, Money Order via mail, Credit Cards, Payment by phone, Payment online

For those willing to haul their own trash and recycling, there is also a free option. York County offers "Convenience Centers" for recycling and low-volume trash drop-off. They are open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. The two nearest Baden Village at Regent Park are Baxter and Fort Mill East. The list of centers is here.

So... What did I learn about waste services in Fort Mill SC? That everyone takes it for granted and no one has thought about what new businesses and residents go through when they move to the area. The trash guys rely on people seeing names and numbers on the curbside garbage cans for advertising. Too bad that doesn't work when you're not actually in the area to see the cans. Only *1* company out of the three reasonably priced ones even has a website!

AT&T can't even excel at 3rd place

Verizon Wireless and Sprint each carried over 16 billion more megabytes of mobile network data than AT&T in 2009. But yet in major cities iPhones brought AT&T's network to its knees.

That is the closest to a flat out indictment of lack of network equipment spending and network engineering you're ever going to see. A servant cannot serve 2 masters... nor can AT&T. Pick one... serve your customers or serve your investors.

Other wireless and landline carriers should take note. If you serve the interests of your shareholders over the needs and future needs of your customers, it will eventually catch up with you. You cannot systemically short change the capex of your network and hope to cover it up with marketing.

Just imagine how many potential customers AT&T lost due to the network problems and news/insinuation of network problems. Those losses equate to squandered mindshare, marketing and acquisition dollars. I don't have exact figures (b/c AT&T would never in their right mind release them) but I'm sure those squandered dollars amount to at least double what they spend on capex in 2009.

Saxapahaw General Store on UNC TV

UNC TV, North Carolina's premier educational television network, featured Saxapahaw General Store on their North Carolina Weekend program on April 4, 2010. Bob Garner shares his experience with the fabulous food and the atmosphere that is Saxapahaw General Store.

Sue Hausmann Gets A New Website

She may be "semi" retired but she still gets around! After blazing through age 65, last year Sue decided to slow down a little and 'retire' from her full-time position as Executive Vice President for Consumer Motivation, Education and Training with VSM Sewing (now part of SVP Worldwide, makers of Husqvarna Viking, Singer and Pfaff).

Now for Sue, "slow down" and "retire" may not match up with your expectations. She still has over 50 appearances and educational sessions on the schedule this year.

Many people know Sue from her host role on the TV series, America Sews, featured on most PBS stations around the country. There is also a new show called America Quilts Creatively. Regardless of how you meet Sue - on TV, in person, or on the phone - one thing you can't miss is her energy and true passion for sewing, quilting, embroidery and all the sewing arts.

Now there's a new way to meet Sue. She has a new website and will be using it to coordinate and communicate all of her scheduled appearances, project sheets, and soon promises to wade into the waters of video blogging.

"Sew" for all things Sue Hausmann, check out: http://www.sewandquiltwithsue.com.

(And yes, I helped her organize the website.)