> The also organize trash collection (without which we'd have to buy individually and have a constant stream of trash trucks rolling through).

That's not a given. I live in a non-HOA area, and everyone on my street has trash collection from the same company on the same day. Thursday night, we set our carts out. Friday morning, we bring them in.

There's a wide middle between HOA bureaucracy and pure chaos.

In my (and most) neighborhoods, the city or county is responsible for all of that.

There is a single trash company serving our area. Everyone just has a contact with them.