The Answer To The "Garbage Can" Price Quiz! Subtitled: Why Is Our Cash Treated Like Trash?

When I first saw the image of one of our new "polycarbon garbage cans" which Rob Perry (via Zoom, of course) introduced to the council at January's informal meeting after the products were purchased, a few things came to my mind.  First of all, why.  Second of all, did he really buy some "garbage cans" in a new style without running it by anyone first, particularly the council or the City Treasurer.  Third, why don't the slats on the "garbage cans" look anything like the slats on the wooden receptacles we have had forever and which Mr. Perry annually takes pride in letting the council know that his workers do such a wonderful job of maintaining every winter when they have the time to sand and paint them and make them look nice again.  Last, I wondered, since Mr. Perry didn't offer the cost of our new "garbage cans" he felt we needed, how much did these "garbage cans" cost us. 

Well, over a month after receiving the invoice for our new public "garbage cans," I still can't believe how much the residents of Hudson paid for these ugly things made of recycled plastic (NOT POLYCARBON, whatever that is!).  I'm thinking that you also won't believe how much we paid for them even if you did ace the quiz. 

The city's newest trash receptacles, which our DPW Superintendent Always Whatever On Zoom Wearing Crocs referred to as "garbage cans," were bought from a company called the Park and Facilities Catalog.  The model number for the "garbage cans" which Mr. Perry chose for us is #398-1468, referred to as 32 Gallon Recycled Plastic Trash Receptacle.  As you can see from the invoice below, each trash receptacle, in the form of a metal frame and 20 2x4 recycled plastic slats, cost us $776!  But since the receptacle does not include a lid, we had to buy one that will soon enough be covered in stickers, goo, graffiti and rust.  That black metal lid cost us just $181!  Perry (WE!) also bought the plastic can (the real garbage can!) which goes inside the receptacle, and that cost us another fucking $73!  The total amount of city revenue which Rob Perry spent for each of our new recycled plastic "garbage cans" now found on Warren Street was $1,030! 

This "garbage can" cost us   HOW MUCH?

That's correct, folks!  You are not dreaming!  IT COST US JUST OVER ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR ONE COMPLETE PUBLIC TRASH RECEPTACLE THAT MR. PERRY REFERS TO AS A "GARBAGE CAN."  Our DPW Superintendent on Zoom found the money to buy 9 of them, plus one extra $73 32-gallon garbage can. (Those cans are very generic and very plastic, and they can probably be bought locally for no more than $25!) 

So, if your answer to this month's quiz was D, "over $1,000 for one new plastic "garbage can," you win the grand prize!  Your prize will be a one-way ticket to the next common council meeting to ask Mr. Perry if he is off his fucking rocker or doing some sort of illicit drugs while at work (wherever that is!).  Then you may ask him if he plans to replace every wooden slatted "garbage can" in the city (there are probably over 100 of them) with his new $1,030 recycled plastic trash receptacles and when he plans to make that happen.  My guess is that he will respond:  "We will only buy more polycarbon garbage cans if there is money left over in the budget at the end of this year.  Are you satisfied now? Leave me alone." 

Can you believe this shit?  Neither can I!