Trash Talk

Taking out the trash is a bit more complex here than walking out the back door to the dumpster. It makes sense, living in an apartment tower is different - many families means lots of trash - and so more organization is required.

Most of the trash we make can be recycled. Recycling is encouraged by the fact that you have to pay to dispose of other kinds of trash - by weight for food waste, and by purchasing city-issued trash bags for anything else. And so we set aside our recyclables, usually having about two cardboard boxes full each week when recycling day comes. Water from the tap is not safe, so we buy bottles of water and these usually comprise a large portion of our recycling blob.

In the afternoon on recycling day, one portion of the parking lot begins to fill with several small mounds. Each pile is for a different material - plastic, styrofoam, glass and so on. Into the evening, the piles grow ever larger as more residents bring their offerings. We take our recyclables down and toss each piece into its appropriate pile. The next morning, the collection is gone, off to find a new life and new purpose (or so I hope).

Maybe learning about taking out the trash is not so interesting. But to me it's a little different, so I thought I'd share. Isaac laughed as I took several photos of the trash piles, and I'll admit I was a bit embarrassed myself so we waited until night to take the pictures.

Creepily standing amidst the recyclables. Isaac is a good sport for helping out.