When Democracy Met the Trash
Still time to win the kid’s digital camera! Click here.
This one, with the dirt on the wheels, the legs and face, is my Best Shot Monday. Watching children play with carefree abandon, without a nod to my own immediate internal thoughts, “Is Oxy Clean really as good as they say it is?” brings me a smile of relief. I’m secretly cheering that yet another sensory memory of the good earth is imprinted on their psyche, that will last much longer within their souls than the dirt will stay under their fingernails; just as it did with the children in the book, Roxaboxen
I live in a neighborhood that is currently up-in-arms because we have a new trash system that requires that we put our garbage out in front, on the street. Why, you ask, should this be a problem? For years, the city has prided itself on its garage-side pick-up. Residents left their garbage cans outside, by the garage, and the garbage trucks, the size of a golf cart with an open back bin, would zip up, and dump the garbage into the bin on the back, and zip back. When the back of the golf cart was full, they would dump this into the regular-sized garbage truck that was following close behind. There were four or five of these golf-cart garbage trucks zipping in and around the neighborhood on any one block at one time on garbage day. Which is Monday, by the way.
Due to economic constraints, the city voted to abandon the system, fire our loyal sanitation engineers, and hire a new contract service with large traditional garbage trucks. Without the golf carts, we are now required to carry our trash out front. If you are elderly, and unable to do this, you must provide a medical excuse from your doctor. Not making this up.
The fatal flaw in this new trash transition, is that the city went against the majority residential opinion and did not put the issue on the ballot. They basically ignored “the people” and changed the law, without validating or considering the public outcry against the switch.
Despite the protest, due process has prevailed, and the change has been made. The letters-to-the-editor section is brimming with complaints about the delays in pickup, the eyesores on the city streets, and even racial slurs that many residents are trying to rectify with “you’re doing a great job” notes left on the trash bins. Aggravating, it is, to feel as if your democratic rights have been robbed. But still, I suspect, that much of the public outcry against the new trash system has to do with the fact that our community is no different than any other community around the city. We put our trash out, just like everyone else. Many people have a difficult time living without the proverbial feather in our “garbage hat.” This issue is far from over. There is a petition circulating. It will be on the ballot this fall. (People, you know, other people are starving to death across the planet.)
No where is this type of attitude so clear than in the pile of dirt across the street. The neighbors are getting a new driveway, hence the mountain. The kids climb the pile, pulling out every monster truck, backhoe, tractor and dump truck from their backyards. Probably the first times these trucks have seen real “monster truck” style adventure. Still, I couldn’t help but laugh at all the cars driving by, drivers and passengers with mouths gaping open, slowing down to stare… “What in the world….?”
A few looked over at me, with my camera, and wondered if I was going to “do anything about that.” I’m happy to report, the sky is still in the sky. It didn’t fall, just because a bunch of kids got really dirty playing in the dirt.
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A boys’ dream that pile of dirt! Let folks complain, they were having fun and making memories.
That looks like great fun to me!
As for the garbage, we’ve always had to haul ours out to the end of the driveway. Although I do remember as a kid when the trash collectors would walk to your garage, get your trash, dump it in one of their cans and haul it to the truck. Yeah, that would not happen now. For one thing, people throw waaaaay more stuff away than they used to.
Oh my goodness - a big ol pile of dirt, that’s like a kid’s dream come true! I say “kid’s” not “boy’s” as my girly-girl would love it too!
an interesting issue for your city — i’ve lived a lot of places with different garbage policies, and i have to say: garbage is garbage wherever you live :). my kids would LOVE that dirt mountain!
Susie, I think you’re right on the money when you wonder if people have “forgotten what real play feels like.” How lucky your boy is to have a big pile of dirt without a Gameboy to distract him! Love the photo.
What an amazing pile of dirt!!!! My little one would love that!!
Great photos!
My kids would go crazy for dirt like that! We live in the Sonoran Desert and dust and rocks and dirt are apart of our daily life. I hope the transition for trash is not too bad. Gotta love bureaucratic decisions on any front!
Heard a story years ago of a woman who said that when they moved into a new house, she tried putting the trash cans in multiple places, but they were always either too far for the trash men or too obvious from the street. She finally found the perfect place — right next to the house, next to the sidewalk, but behind a tall bush. The next morning, the doorbell rang at oh-dark-thirty, and an exasperated trash man asked her Okay, Lady, where did you hide it THIS time?
Oh my goodness, it would be hard to keep kids away from that! They are having such fun!
You’re so right about that………I think it’s just that people hate change and anything that’s different. We moved out of a residential HOA neighborhood, where the color had to be a certain color palette, you had to get landscaping approval for plants….tiresome, really. We’re so happy to be where we are now, free of that. Love seeing kids play in the dirt, mine do all the time! I just have to remember to bring changes of clothing!!!!
looks like they are having a ball!
Playing in the dirt is awesome. I recall many days playing in the yard with nothing but a bucket and a little hand shovel… Mom would hose me off in the yard then I would get straight in the tub.
We used to play in the dirt for hours and hours as a kid. You’re right, it’s a dying art of childhood. I admit, I steer H. away from playing in the dirt in our back yard mainly because all the houses around us are 60 - 100 years old and who know how much lead is in the tiny paint chips buried in the dirt from renovations over the years. I know, paranoid.
this looks like so much fun! you are such a cool mom.
How fun! I love all their little trucks in the dirt mountain - the essence of childhood indeed! Clearly some people have forgotten that a little dirt doesn’t hurt anything…that’s what a washing machine is for!
A mountain of dirt! I thought every kid got to play in one, and am surprised that this is a novelty.
As for your garbage pickup….it is definitely a shame that the issue didn’t go to a vote, but do you realize how lucky you were for the longest time? I’ve never heard of a golf cart trash pick up. In fact, years ago I lived in a town where we had a “burn barrel” and had to burn our trash (can you imagine how environmentally unfriendly that was? not to mention the smell!).
Wow, I’ve never heard of “garage-side” service! Your neighborhood has had it good. Unfortunately companies like Waste Management (are there any other companies?) take care of most US garbage, so unusual setups like yours are rare and not long for this world.
I can see stopping my car to gape at such a huge mountain of dirt in an otherwise tidy neighborhood. But how sad that the kids playing on it was the issue!
I can’t even think of a good comment. This post literally moved me beyond words, and brought me back to playing in the dirt on the side of our driveway. In the country. Bare foot. What are we doing to our kids?