Buried access gets a flat "dig out" fee tacked on before I even start, usually an hour of labor per 15 minutes of actual moving, because it always takes longer than it looks. The freezer on top of the lid is where I draw the line and tell them it moves before I show up or I reschedule and charge a trip fee. Walking the route first is the only real fix, but for the price, quote high and put "access not visible" right on the invoice so there are no surprises when the number goes up.

Man, 8 to 10 percent is wild when you think about it. But here's what bugs me about that number: is it mostly coming from homes tossing leftovers, or from farms and stores dumping stuff before it ever hits a shelf? Because those are two totally different problems. If it's stores rejecting ugly carrots and grocery chains over-ordering, that's a supply chain fix. If it's us forgetting about the spinach in the back of the fridge, that's a habits thing. Which one are we actually supposed to attack first?