A momentous occasion: we switched to a big sized city trash can, finally breaking under the pressure of keeping to a small size can with a five-member household.
The last straw was when I had to rent a truck and take some stuff from our garage to the city transfer station, the kind of stuff a lot of people get rid of in their big trash cans each week. I think the city is tougher on the small can customers: you really do have to have everything in bags, and nothing extra unless you call ahead. I often thought of the guy in Montana (not the Unabomber) who filled his trash can only once a year, as I jumped on the bags to make them fit. We originally opted small because I didn't want a big honking plastic trash can in a small yard. It was a challenge at first: when we got a tag about not leaving extra bags, I called sanitation and asked, "Who are these small cans for, anyway: little old ladies?" That's right, was the answer. One reason we held out was I thought the city charged a fee for switching sizes. Turns out they only do that for people who constantly switch sizes for some reason. I think the city considered offering a medium sized can option when it went to plastic cans but didn't due to cost. For us, the small can demanded disciplined recycling and composting, and we probably would have had to go big earlier if the city hadn't added boxboard and magazines to its recycling roster. The big can feels like an SUV (not that I've ever owned, commuted in, driven, ridden in, or looked longingly at an SUV). But I have to admit I'm becoming a slightly less religious recycler now that we have a huge gaping black maw in the yard that'll eat anything. Chris Steller Nicollet Island-East Bank _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
