Trouble with Trash

Please don’t trash my recycling. And don’t recycle my trash.

Um, wait.

We may have to leave an extra generous tip for our trash man, when the holidays roll around again.

Somehow, someone seems to have mixed up our rollout trash dumpster and our recycling bin. Actually, they look pretty much alike, so it’s not such a far-fetched question.

Maybe, just maybe, one of the younger members of the household decided to help out by wheeling the two bins back to their designated spots by the side of the garage.

It’s an honest mistake.

But our trash collector begs to differ.

Sure, the recycling bin is clearly marked with the tell-tale arrowed triangle on the side. Pretty sure that’s the universal symbol for reuse-repurpose-recycle. Or something like that.

And the trash bin is a dingy brown color, unlike the stock photo - above (Trust me. You don't wanna see an actual photo of our garbage can.), while the recycle one is more of an olive green.

But the trash and recycle bins nearly match, otherwise. They’re the same size and shape, and they both roll along on bumpety-bump wheels, sort of like the worst carts at the grocery store.

Maybe it was dark out when someone stepped in and stowed the bins last week. (Hey, I’m all for giving helpful individuals the benefit of the doubt.)

You get the picture.

Anyway, the trash is collected weekly, but the recycling truck only comes twice a month. Today was not a recycling day.

That should have simplified things … but it didn’t.

Early this morning, the trash man drove his garbage truck directly past our house. He didn’t even slow down. He completely ignored the wheeled green household dumpster by the curb.

Upon calling the trash collection office, once business hours began, we learned that they simply won’t collect trash, if it’s in the green bin. It’s gotta be in the brown one.

You might say the trash collection experts read the riot act, refusing to pick up our refuse unless the bins were swapped.

So, on a 4-degree (F) day, with the winter wind blowing fiercely, the trash/recycle recollection began.

A couple of hours later, the trash truck returned to pick up our weekly castoffs, which were now placed in the proper receptacle.

By the way, I’m not a home schooler, but you can bet we’re gonna have a little family lesson on trash / recycling bin identification. It’ll start like this:

“I appreciate your willingness to help,

especially without my having to ask.

Let’s take a look at the difference

between these two wheeled dumpsters.”

OK, that’s settled. But another issue remains, when we think about the trash and recycling bin mix-up.

Was this an eco-friendly experience for anyone?

Sure, we’re all for recycling. It saves energy and the environment.

Still, I gotta wonder how much gas it took to send the garbage truck back around again.

Or is that just a load of – oh, never mind.

Image/s:

Adapted from Garbage Bin by BlueGum - Stock.Xchng

Recycling icon – public domain clipart

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