Tag: trash

Posted in Life

A lot of money for a little bit of trash

Posted on by William Douthwaite

“Hey, if you’re going to Walmart, we need a trash can for the back bedroom.”

“Got it. See you soon.”

The back bedroom is now a scrapbooking, 3D and edible ink printing, and cookie packaging room. I’m constantly carting out paper trimmings, sticker backing, and leftover 3D printing scraps. A trash can back there will be a welcome addition to the room.

At Walmart, I pushed my shopping cart towards the “Home” aisles, where I was sure I’d find a not-too-ugly container. I was right. I had a whole aisle full of them to choose from.

But I was not prepared for the cost of a simple can. The first few metal cans I looked at, with a foot pedal to open the lid, were $49.95. That’s crazy. There must be something cheaper. Right next to them were some that would set me back $80. But they were equipped with a motion sensor, so that the can would open anytime you passed by.

I was ready to give up and go get the rest of my list. But at the other end of the aisle, there were a few $24.95 models. Rather than metal, it was a metallic-looking plastic. It felt flimsy, but I wasn’t going to use it that much, so I went ahead and bought one.

What did I expect? I guess I was hoping to get a basic container for under twenty bucks. Unfortunately, few things I but for around the house cost less than $20!

Ironically, my son had ordered one of those deluxe motion-sensor cans for his kitchen just a month ago. In haste, he had Amazon deliver it to our home rather than his, so I had to return it for him. At his home, the can would get a lot of use, so the investment made sense for him.

Posted in trash

A sofa-eating truck

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Some folks up the street just moved out of their rental house. They left sofas, mattresses, shelves, and all kinds of trash on the curb in their wake. When I walked by, I thought to myself, “There’s no way the trash guys are going to take all that away.”

I was wrong. I was very wrong.

The big dog and I walked towards that house as the trash collectors approached. I watched with fascination as they fed two full-length sofas, three chairs, two mattresses, and a host of other trash into the back of the truck. The truck ate the furniture before my eyes. In minutes, it was all gone, and the truck rumbled off to the next stop.

I will always be amazed at the things we throw away. From sofas to dishwashers, all those things we work so hard to purchase end up crushed in the back of a truck.

That moment gave me, and should give you, perspective.

Posted in Life, trash

Friendly neighborhood Spiderman!

Posted on by William Douthwaite

One of the unexpected benefits of walking the dogs a couple times a day is finding treasures along the way. So far this year I’ve found two folding utility knives, a Philips head screwdriver, a clear plastic 18-inch ruler, and twenty cents. That doesn’t include the dress-form and inexpensive guitar I rescued from a rental clean-out trash heap.

Last week I found this one foot tall Spiderman action figure in the middle of the street. It was on a curve in a road with undeveloped wooded lots. With no houses nearby where his owner may have lived, I picked up the superhero and brought him home.

Spiderman debuted in a Marvel comic book in 1962. He’s been featured in many comic books, television shows, and movies since then. Some of my grandchildren are fans of Spidey and His Amazing Friends, a kids variation of the character. But they recognized the classic figure with a resounding, “Whoa!”

He now keeps watch over the toy room alongside a foot-tall Tyrannosaurus Rex, Woody from Toy Story, a Doc McStuffins doll, and the entire cast of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.

Posted in trash

That’s no lady, just a dress form

Posted on by William Douthwaite

The big dog and I see a lot of interesting things on our walks. Late Thursday night, we passed by a home that has recently had interesting items on the curb for trash pickup.

I almost didn’t notice it. But my dog stopped to sniff something we don’t see everyday: a dress form. I chuckled and took a picture. I haven’t seen one of those for a long time.

My mom actually had one. She did a lot of sewing at home. I remember her laying paper patterns out on the floor and pinning fabric to them. She made a lot of clothes for herself and my sister. Apparently, dresses were easy; men’s clothes were more difficult. When she died, we found a whole dresser in the basement full of paper patterns she had used and saved over the years.

Anyway, on Friday morning, my wife texted me, “There’s a dress form out for the trash. Can you go get it?” She wanted to use it to display some clothes she wanted to sell online. So, we (the big dog and I) walked up the street and grabbed it. It was surprisingly light, not more than a few pounds.

Everytime I walked through the garage on Friday and Saturday, I was startled by what looked like a person standing there! It was spooky until I moved it into one of the bedrooms.

A few nights before I picked up a guitar from their trash. It wasn’t a quality guitar. Just a cheap one made in China you might find in Walmart. But it was in nearly new condition except for a broken string. I might restring it and give it away or donate it to Goodwill. Or I could teach a grandchild to play.

Today, I saw the U-Haul van in their driveway. The family is moving out of the rental. These are the same folks who have a living room lamp on their front porch, Christmas lights in the shape of a heart in the front window, and five or six free shopping newspapers in their driveway.

I wonder who we’ll get next in the neighborhood?

Posted in trash

The pink sofa

Posted on by William Douthwaite

It’s not uncommon to see furniture out on trash collection day. It’s unusual to see pink furniture on the curb.

This is a kid-sized sofa. At two-and-a-half feet high and maybe sixty inches long, I doubt it’s big enough for our Great Dane to nap in. (I should have gotten a quick picture of her trying it out for size.)

I am sure it matched the decor of little girl’s pink bedroom. And for her it was perfect for sitting and watching a video, jumping up and down, and reading a book to a collection of stuffed animals.

I didn’t check any tags, but it’s a safe bet that this was made in China. I wonder how many were made. I wonder if those working on the line making these wondered, “What crazy American is going to buy a pink sofa?” Some Rooms To God assistant manager had to put this out on the display floor. wonder if that manager chuckled when a family came in and said, “This is perfect. We’ll take it!” I’ll bet the trash collection guys were amused when they picked it up, too.

Colors are personal. We love some and others nauseate us. As I walk around the neighborhood, I can’t help but wonder out loud why anyone would paint the outside of their home (or dye their hair) a bright orange or mustard yellow. Or buy a car the color of puked-up green pea soup. But I know that those folks picked those colors deliberately, and, at least for now, think it looks nice.

Maybe someone actually picked up this pink sofa and took it home before the trash truck got there. Perhaps it will be loved a second time.

Posted in neighborhood

Another catalog hit the driveway this morning

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Just what I need: more trash in the driveway. This means there’s more trash in driveways throughout the neighborhood, right alongside countless Pennysaver newspapers that no one bothers to pick up. Great.

Apparently, this is someone’s genius marketing plan. “I know. Let’s toss a catalog onto each driveway. Everyone will pick it up, order something, and we’ll be rich!” Just like the cleaning service that put a business card in a zip lock bag with some rocks and it in my yard. I want to pick it up, call the number and tell them to come and collect all their trash.

Here’s the problem. These aren’t major league players. Many throws miss the driveway or lawn altogether. Cars run over them. Rain soaks them. The streets are dotted with piles of soggy mess.

Well, some streets are. In my neighborhood, when walking the dogs, I’ve taken on the task of throwing errant papers up onto their respective yards, often joining others from previous weeks. Now someone eventually has to move them to cut the lawn.

My wife said, “Does anyone even buy Avon anymore?” I was wondering the same thing myself. From what I understand, sellers have to purchase catalogs to fling out the window as they drive through the community.

I have an idea. Just toss cash out the window. The dogs and I will be glad to clean up after you!

Posted in minimalism

Containers full of junk

Posted on by William Douthwaite

An impressive load of U-Haul storage containers arrived at a rental up the street. I count nine on the big trailer plus one pulled by a small truck.

An impressive decluttering is happening right before my eyes. Dressers, cabinets, woven baskets, toys, shelves and clothes now line the curb. The scene reminds me of when we sold dad’s house and cleaned it out.

Why did they bring all this with them? Why didn’t they put it all out on the curb before they moved? I’m thinking they were cleaning out a storage unit where there is no curb. Or maybe someone died, they had to clean everything out quickly, and had to time to sort through years of accumulation.

Big trash pickup day doesn’t come around for another week. I’ll bet folks will stop by to take a decent amount of this away. We stopped and picked up a few nice baskets. But a lot will remain there till the end of this week.

A scene like this makes me consider how much stuff we still have in our house. And we make daily efforts to declutter and minimize our home and lives. As a rule, something has to go every day. Give it away, sell it, or throw it out. Otherwise, your inner hoarder emerges and take over.

Posted in Food

A donut makes a run for it

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I noticed more trash than usual out for collection day today. A lot of bike week festivities meant a few extra bags and lots of recycling this week.

After tugging the dogs away from this stray donut, I snapped a few photos, wondering what the story is here. If you look closely, you’ll also see half a bagel trying to escape from a white kitchen trash bag.

I can imagine a shrill voice saying, “You said you were going to take care of the garbage!” A hungover dad stumbles down the driveway with brunch remnants. He doesn’t even notice the donut that bounces out onto the driveway. Even if he did, I doubt he’d pick it up. You’ll notice he couldn’t be bothered to pick up last Thursday’s local merchant newspaper.

This glazed bad boy will soon discover that life on the outside is treacherous. I didn’t let my dogs near it, but deer, cats, birds, dogs, and insects will be interested. Mom will probably nail it when she backs the car out of the driveway to take the kids to school. A gentle rain will melt it into the ground.

Whether consumed or discarded, a donut’s life is brief. Mama, don’t your babies grow up to be donuts.

Posted in Life

That is one nasty mattress

Posted on by William Douthwaite

On my walks and drives around the neighborhood, it’s not unusual to see mattresses on the curb for trash pickup. However, I share this one as one of the dirtiest and nastiest I think I’ve ever seen.

It could have been in someone’s garage for a while. Maybe they just never got around to getting rid of it. Mildew grows fast in the humid Florida air. If the house was unoccupied and the power was off, imagine the black mold growing throughout the rest of the house.

I guess it could have been someone’s mattress, but I cringe at the thought. I know mattresses get dirty and accumulate a lot of dust mites and dead skin cells. But this much?

Some friends of mine had a bedbug problem a few months ago. Needless to say, they had to get rid of their mattress and boxspring. They left theirs on the curb, but someone actually took it before the trash guys showed up!

They say you should replace your mattresses every seven to ten years. How old do you think this one was?