Monday October 3 2016  A RECOLLECTION OF GARBAGE DAYS OF YESTERYEAR 

Monday is garbage day. And every other Monday is also recycle day.  Today Dave brought to my mind some of the memories of past garbage days.  Our memories are different; having lived in different parts of the country growing up.  And I imagine that garbage collection from city workers or garbage disposal of one’s own trash is probably quite diverse depending on circumstances and where and when you lived.

My earliest memory is when we lived in the housing projects.  Scattered about the grounds were burn barrels with a screen to throw over the top when the fire raged inside.  There was one such can between our apartment building and the one behind us.  We collected the burnable trash and took it to the burn barrel, lit a match and covered it with the screen.  When anyone burned it was an entertainment draw for the rag-tag kids playing on the weedy, treeless hills.  Back when I was a youngster there were mean spirited kids that lived in the projects around us.  It was not uncommon for some kid to scoop up someone’s pet cat (of course the flea infested cats all ran free), and throw it into the burning incinerator.  It was always so traumatic to me when that happened and a burned and scarred cat would find footing to catapult itself out the flames.  Rarely did they survive, but they certainly suffered.

I remember the summers we spent in Arkansas on my grandparent’s dairy farm with its beautiful scenic landscape.  About a quarter mile down the dirt road past grandma and grandpa’s house there was a meandering little creek that worked its way through the wooded land.  The creek crossed the road in high water season.  Unfortunately, it was a dumping ground for the neighbor’s garbage, old appliance, dirty diapers (when disposables came along) and so much more.  The rushing water would send the debris floating across the road depositing it here and there along its way.  And believe it or not, it is still used for such.  And believe it or not, it is still a dirt road that washes out each year with the creek’s high water.  And one more “believe it or not”, my mom told me that grandma and grandpa deposited their garbage there too!

Dave and I both remembered years ago when the men who collected the garbage in the big trucks had to jump off the truck, pick up the cans manually, and dump them into the back receptacle of the truck.  When the bin became too full the driver would turn on a motor that would raise the bin to the top of the truck and dump all the garbage into the larger bin.  That sound could be heard from blocks away.  As a little kid it was always mesmerizing to watch.  One thing for sure, back then, and even now, we always know when the garbage truck is in the neighborhood. 

Dave and I remember the time when all the garbage cans were different.  Different sizes and different colors, but all were banged up.  When it was windy we kids would run down the streets collecting the light metal lids that where flipped away in the wind or because some kids rolled the lid down the hilly street just because they could.  Garbage can lids were always a great source of entertainment; loud entertainment!  And it was always fun to peek into the trash cans to see what others had thrown away.  There were few regulations or rules “way back when”, and sometimes as kids we discovered little treasures amongst the trash and garbage.

Now things are a bit different.  All the cans in our neighborhoods are issued through the city and the only difference is size choice and the colors.  Garbage is in the green can and recyclables are in the blue can.  And actually they are not cans at all.  Plastic has replaced the old metal round cans.  The lids are attached, and very rarely is a “can” ever touched by the garbage collectors.  The big claw comes out from the side of the truck, grabbing the can in its vice-like hold and then slings it above the bin in front of the truck’s cab, turning it upside down with the lid swinging back and forth, then sets the plastic container back down on the ground (sometime in the upright position) and goes along the street to the next square plastic container.  When it is very rainy outside it seems those are the days the plastic container maintains its upright position, with the lid open of course. 

And of course we are now governed with lots of rules and regulations, even on garbage and recyclables.  When both garbage and recyclables are picked up together the cans must be a certain distance apart, the lids must shut, and there are more “don’ts” than there are “do’s”.  Oh, the passage of time, how much better off we are for all the rules and regulations.  I say that both tongue-in-cheek as well as with sincerity.  It is certainly a lot better than dumping the trash, garbage, and a whole lot more in the gutter, or for that matter, in the stream!  Dave and I both came to the conclusion that we are just very glad that we have garbage pick-up as well as recyclable pick-up.  It is certainly a lot better than taking it to the dump or allowing it to pile up around the house.  But, sad to say, there are still some places in the U.S. that do just that.  I know, because I’ve been to Arkansas recently.

 

A LOT CAN BE DECIPHERED

Kathleen Martens

October 3, 2016

http://www.visionsofpoetry.com

 

A lot can be deciphered

By what you throw away.

When the lid won’t close,

Your labels are displayed.

 

It is easy to see

What other people eat

When spilling from the top,

MacDonald boxes peek.

 

And it’s easy to perceive

Who doesn’t cook

Because of empty boxes and cans

Wherever you may look.

 

Oh my! Sounds that rattle

From the recycle bin

When one drinks booze

With all their friends.

 

What you see in the trash

Has a story to tell,

A way to know neighbors

All quite too well.

 

And then there are packages

That blow in the wind,

Donuts and candy bags

Your mower will fend.

 

So be mighty careful

When you throw things away,

Take your address off of everything

So your trash won’t say

 

Who you are

And where you live.

And especially the junk mail

To your shredder give!

 

Better yet, grow your food,

Buy everything fresh.

And use canning jars

So you won’t have a mess.

 

Shred your personal business

As mulch for your plants.

Have a compost heap,

So your garden will dance.

 

On the other hand, just throw away

Whatever is on your shelf.

After all, others are not interested in you!

They are too busy with themselves!

 

Thank You God for garbage collectors!

Thank You too Lord for the food we have available that come in boxes and cans.

Thank You Lord for a society that does have rules and regulations that help us live on clean streets.

 

GOOD NIGHT AND GOD BLESS YOU.