Big cans, big trash!

Since the beginning of the millennium we've been outfitted with giant garbage cans. These cavernous monsters, like most everywhere in America, can hold 80 gallons of “stuff.” We get two of them; one for the regular refuse and one for the recyclables. The huge cavity seem like an invitation to dump as much as possible; as a result, everything from tree trunks, old clothes, dead animals to used appliances eventually find their way into the can and on pickup day, all of them are bulging with their lids opened up, as if they were regurgitating the excess load. This, in my view, leads to a self-generated escalation as we all dump more, the contracting company claims more tonnage each year and then can charge the local government accordingly. In this “green” and less profligate era, it seems to me that it would make much more sense to switch to a much smaller size, and if someone still wants a giant dumpster, let them pay a generous surcharge for the extra load. This would save lots of money, encourage more folks to compost or recycle responsibly and put an end to the idea that bigger is always better.