Cottage Information
Garbage Schedule
Garbage is scheduled to be picked up early on Thursday mornings although the actual day of pickup will be delayed if there's been a recent holiday or snow storm. You may visit the City's webpage for additional information. (See "Holiday Pickup Schedule" near the bottom of the page). If you are on the Garbage Committee's mailing list, you will receive an appropriate email regarding any schedule changes.
Garbage Tips & Tricks
The City suggests that you put the cans out the night before the scheduled pickup. The timing of the actual pickup currently varies so this advice is
correct. It would be a good idea to put your cans out only when they are heavy enough to avoid having them knocked over by the wind or hungry animals
during the night.
Do NOT put your recycling in a bag because it will not be opened at the sorting facility -- it will just be thrown away. If you are trying to recycle shredded
paper it is suggested that such material should be placed in transparent bags for easy identification. It is unknown if the semi-transpartent 13-gallon kitchen
bags are acceptable substitutes.
Put your trash in the green containers and your recycling in the blue ones.
Anything made of styrofoam is trash.
The paper bags which are used for meal pickup can not be reused. Please don't return them to the dining room. They can be recycled just like other paper
products.
Space your cans at least 3-4 feet apart so the pickup personnel won't have trouble grabbing the desired can without knocking over the other one.
Don't put out your cans for pickup unless they are reasonably full or might weigh too much for you to safely get them to the street.
It will help keep the drivers on schedule if they don't have to pick up a can with just a few items in it.
There's no law that says you have to put both cans out for every pickup.
A heavier can is less likely to blow over in the wind.
If you have any specific questions regarding what can or can't be recycled or how to dispose of prohibited items, please check out the
City's webpage on this issue.
Following these simple courtesies will save the City fuel, wear and tear on the trucks, decrease the blowing trash, annoying noise and air pollution in our
cul-de-sac.
Sewage Pumps in Two-Story Cottages
It is very important that, in the event of a power outage (which happens rarely), you must stop using toilets or anything else that connects to your water supply on the lower level of your cottage. Without going into gruesome detail, let's just say that you do NOT want to see anything backing up into your shower or other low-lying area of your first floor. Once the power comes back on, you may use your facilities as usual.
Spraying for Weeds and Critters
There are two outside vendors that will be spraying in the Cottage neighborhood: Titan Landscaping and Orkin pest control. In general, Titan will
spray for weeds (pre-emergent and active control) and Orkin (cottage exteriors to prevent critter entry). The Building Services department will attempt
to give you prior notice of exterior spraying but because Touchmark does not control the third-party vendors, their adherence to specific times cannot
be guaranteed. Orkin will only enter your residence following your request for additional services such as eliminating interior bugs or critters. They will
make an appointment with you prior to doing any interior work.
A side effect of spraying the outside of cottages is that it has the potential to drive some insects into the cottage. At this point you might find that a few
unwanted guests have made it inside. If you find ants or other insects, you should inform the Front Desk and ask that Orkin visit your home. They will
place bait in appropiate locations which usually stops the problem within a week or two.