MB Meets World

When Johne first invited me to Taipei, he listed various tourist attractions he wanted to show me, then he said, “And then we will watch trash collection.” I thought he was joking, but it is seriously cool!

In the places I have lived in the US (NY, Iowa, Colorado, Massachusetts and Minnesota) trash collection was pretty consistent – put garbage in cans outside for trucks and drivers to collect – varying only in frequency, items collected and methods of payment. Growing up downstate NY in the 70s, they collected twice a week and did not separate out recycling; payment was through taxes. In Ithaca for the past 24 years, we put (expensive) garbage tags on the trash for weekly pick-up, and recycling collection is every other week, paid through taxes. Roughly the same system.

In Taipei, by contrast, garbage is kept in the home until pick-up. It seemed pick-up was daily. When the garbage truck arrived, folks took the trash out to the trucks. How were they alerted to the truck’s arrival? The truck played the classical tune “Fur Elise”! It felt like an old-fashioned ice cream truck! Payment was through buying designated garbage bags. Recycling was taken to a recycling center nearby.

My takeaway? You don’t know what you don’t know. I wouldn’t think to ask someone from a different community or country, “what’s trash collection like in your hometown?” Yet, it may be different and interesting.