by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Normally, trash day isn't something to get excited about or to write (home) about. Gathering all the rubbish from around the house and getting it all in the bin and remembering to put the bin outside the night before because the garbage men come at 7 am is all and not very exiting.
However, some places do have a special trash day. We used to have in this country in many places, when people put all the large, bulky objects out on the curb to be picked up by a special garbage unit. The evening before such a day means it is time for, not so much dumpster-diving but dumpster-browsing, and curb shopping.
When I was a kid we did that on a regular basis and it was amazing what people, even in the poorer district, would throw away. Amongst others there would be TV sets and other electrical things that had nothing wrong with them but had been superseded by new ones, sofas that were maybe a year old and often looked as they had been hardly used, and much, much more.
In fact, during my childhood this was a business opportunity for my People, as we would pick the stuff up, recondition where necessary, and then sell it again at the local – and not so local – markets.
Nowadays this special collection has been done away with in most of not all municipalities in Britain and people are expected to bring the things to the local – and often not very local – refuse centers. That does work only, however, if someone has the means of doing so, that is to say a car or a van. If you are not a driver then you have to get specialist companies, or the municipality guys in, who then charge you for removing the stuff. Rather a shame... on two or more counts.
© 2010
