10/09/2026
Good afternoon, my favorit’est people in Shawnee county!
And a hearty welcome to everyone else who just happened to wander onto this little page of ours, either intentionally, accidentally, or through some unfortunate series of internet decisions.
I bid thee good tidings!
Welp.
I've got my sassy pants on today, so let's just see where this train goes before it inevitably leaves the tracks.
It's that time of year, folks.
Craft fairs. Pumpkin spice. That mysterious layer of grime on the INSIDE of your windshield that suddenly becomes visible when the sun hits it at precisely the wrong angle.
And somehow, somewhere, somebody in the retail industry decided we were just gonna skip Halloween AND Thanksgiving and go straight to Christmas.
I'm pretty sure next week they'll have Easter candy out. Cadbury Eggs and inflatable Santas. Together. Living in harmony.
Meanwhile, summer is hanging in there like a loose tooth.
You come to work in the morning with the heater running and go home with the A/C blasting.
Then, because your brain apparently doesn't retain information overnight, you jump into your vehicle the next morning, turn the key, and get a face full of freezing cold air.
Which causes you to launch your morning beverage directly into your shirt.
Which means you now have to go back into the house, change clothes, explain to the dog why you're home again, and start your entire day over.
Stupid weather.
But hey, at least we ain't got a big ol' hurricane staring us in the face. And based on the news coverage, this is apparently the first hurricane ever in the history of histories…
So there's that.
Today's message is going to be a wandering micro-lesson in civics!
Yes. Civics.
The study of government, taxation, and why seventeen different entities can apparently have their fingers in your wallet at the same time.
And if you successfully complete today's post-test, you may qualify for Continuing Education Units (CEUs).
Which will benefit you in absolutely no way whatsoever.
Just the satisfaction of knowing you survived another educational adventure with the Shawnee County Solid Waste Social Media Team (SWSMT).
Let's begin.
Class is now in session.
Okay, kids. there are 105 counties in this little state of ours. And little ol' Shawnee County is somewhat special. For a couple of reasons.
Number one: We're home to that big pointed building downtown with the statue on top.
You know the one.
Number two: We're the third most populated county in the entire state of Kansas.
Not too shabby.
Number three: You have Us!
Shawnee County Solid Waste!
The largest municipal solid waste collection provider in the state.
Now, stick with me. Remember, it's the journey, not the destination.
And judging by how this post is developing, we may never actually reach the destination.
So here in Shawnee County, we are exposed to several different layers of government.
We've got:
Federal Government
State Government
County Government
City Government
Township Government
And then we have all those OTHER governmental entities and taxing districts.
Such as:
State of Kansas
Shawnee County
City of Topeka (or Rossville, Silver Lake, Auburn, depending on where you reside)
School Districts
Public Libraries
Metropolitan Transit Authority
Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority
Townships
And depending on where you live, several of those entities may have their fingerprints all over your property tax bill.
Seriously. Pull out your property tax statement sometime and look at where your money actually goes.🧐
It's quite an educational experience. Sometimes even a religious experience.
As in: "Good Lord, I pay how much and to whom?!"😳
But do you know who doesn't receive any of those property tax dollars?
Go ahead. Take a guess. I'll wait.
That's right! Shawnee County Solid Waste!
Not one penny of your property taxes goes toward funding our department's operations.
ZERO.
ZIP.
NADA.
👉We are 100% user-fee funded.
👉We operate much like a business, with our own operating funds supported by the fees collected for the services we provide.
👉We collect your trash.
👉We collect your recycling.
👉We provide commercial waste services.
👉We operate the Household Hazardous Waste Facility.
👉And we pay for those operations through our service revenues.
Which brings me to another little item that apparently needs clarification.
For the love of everything good and decent...
Our name is: Shawnee County Solid Waste.
Not City of Topeka Solid Waste.
Not Topeka Waste.
Not Topeka County Solid Waste.
Not the Topeka Department of Garbage.
Shawnee. County. Solid. Waste.
Three words. Beautiful words.
Put them together and you get us.
So when you call our office and proudly announce: "Well, I pay my taxes!"
Bravo, my good citizen! As you should!
We appreciate your commitment to supporting the various governmental entities that actually receive those funds.
But while you're at it, please make sure you pay your trash bill, too.
Because those are two entirely different things.
"But I pay the city my trash bill!"
Yes. Yes, you do. And thank you very much.
You see, the City of Topeka provides billing services for our residential refuse and recycling customers through its utility billing system.
And we pay the City of Topeka for providing that service.
So although the charge appears on your CITY utility bill, the actual trash and recycling services are provided by Shawnee County Solid Waste.
It's a billing arrangement.
Now, since we've already wandered down the rabbit hole of governmental identities and naming conventions, let's clear up another common misconception.
Shawnee County Solid Waste does not own or operate the Shawnee County Material Recovery Facility (MRF).
You know the place. The recycling facility north of Highway 75.
Despite having "Shawnee County" in its name, it is not a Shawnee County government facility.
You see, the words "Shawnee County" aren't generally copyrighted.
Which means, subject to applicable business-name and trademark rules, somebody could theoretically open:
The Shawnee County Butterfly Emporium And Haberdashery. And be legal as a beagle.
Just imagine. A delightful little establishment specializing in exotic butterflies, fine gentleman's hats, and perhaps an assortment of decorative pocket squares.
But I digress. Again.
Anyway, the Shawnee County MRF is owned and operated by WM, formerly known as Waste Management.
And while we're discussing WM, the same applies to Rolling Meadows Landfill.
👉Privately owned.
👉Privately operated.
👉NOT owned by Shawnee County.
Speaking Of Rolling Meadows Landfill...
🎉Free Dump Day Has Been Rescheduled! 🎉
Saturday, November 7, 2026!
7:00 A.M. Until Noon!
That's right, folks!
The long-awaited, frequently discussed, previously postponed, often questioned, FREE DUMP DAY! has returned to the calendar!
Rain.
Sleet.
Snow.
Shine.
Pandemic.
Potdemic.
Skilletdemic.
Whatever other kind of ‘demic the universe decides to throw at us between now and then.
November 7th!
And here's a little free advice. Get there early. Trust and believe.
Because if you show up at 11:59 with a trailer piled six feet high and seventeen mattresses strapped to the top with what appears to be leftover Christmas ribbon, your day might not go exactly as planned.
And remember, this is at WM's Rolling Meadows Landfill.
Not the Shawnee County Butterfly Emporium and Haberdashery.
Anywhoz...
It's Friday! And the SWSMT desperately needs to begin the weekend before somebody from Human Resources starts asking questions that we do not want to answer on a Friday afternoon.
So let's close out today's educational experience with some sage life advice.
The kind of wisdom you can't buy.
Mostly because nobody would pay for it.
👉Don't drink and drive.
👉Don't do stupid.
👉Don't ignore good advice just because it's free because when somebody who has already been down the road you're traveling takes the time to tell you that the bridge is out, maybe listen, because if something didn't work the first time, or the second time, or the previous seventeen times, there's a pretty decent chance that doing the exact same thing again isn't going to produce some miraculous new outcome so maybe, just maybe, the person offering you that advice actually knows what they're talking about. Think about it. Free advice. Worth every penny.
With that, my friends, our journey through Kansas civics, property taxation, municipal billing arrangements, butterflies, haberdashery, and personal accountability has reached its conclusion.
More or less.
Have a great weekend!
Be safe!
Make good choices!!!
Make. Good. Choices. (some of you need to hear it twice)
Be a good human.
The detour has been suspended due to lack of available options.
PS - I see you. Keep going. You're doing better than you think. We love ya.
PPS - To settle the argument once and for all, your cart faces the road with the handle to the rear. I mean, it says it right there on the lid.
PPPS - If you make that little circular motion with your left hand and arm to tell somebody to roll down their car window, you're my kind of people. The Z crowd has absolutely no idea what we're talking about.
PPPPS - Does anybody still have their swimming pool open? Because I’ll be over around 2:00 with snacks.
PPPPPS - Just admit it. You just made the little circular window-cranking motion while reading that last postscript. Didn't ya? Don't lie. I know you did.
PPPPPPS - There are painted lane lines on the new eastbound I-70! Actual lines! On the road! I'm so excited!
PPPPPPPS - Is anybody else completely, totally, unequivocally, spiritually, and emotionally, over all the political advertisements and campaign mail?
PPPPPPPPS - If you've made it all the way down here, congratulations.
PPPPPPPPPS - Love ya, Byeeeeeeee!