March 13, 2008

A DILEMMA CALLED GARBAGE

Subtitle: What's so Great about Red Robin Anyway?






















I've got this strange gravitational pull to my garbage cans. See here and here.
Recycling. It includes a dedication to sifting through your waste and picking out plastics numbered 1-7. It requires that you select certain types of paper, rinse out your tin cans, and get very familiar with the different grades of cardboard.
So Nate and I have been focused on recycling for a year now. Every week we drag two cans to the alley. One is emptied by the regular BFI and the other is emptied by a recycling company. It's integral to know that if you have non-recyclable items in your recycling can, it will not be emptied. Rules are rules.
Since Nate was gone, I was on garbage duty this week. Both cans were dragged out Tuesday night. All the neighbor's cans are lined up on the right side of the alley so the truck can get them easily. The neighbors directly across the alley brought their cans out and placed them next to ours.
When I got home from work Wednesday night, I dragged the regular garbage can back into our garage but when I went to get the recycling can I noticed it hadn't been emptied. And then I realized that the garbage inside wasn't recyclable garbage and, in fact, was a bunch of take out bags from Red Robin. I've been home alone. And working late. But I certainly did not eat what looked like 20 pounds of Red Robin take out and then negligently toss all the waste into the recycling can. It then occurred to me that our neighbors took our empty recycle can and left us their gross, non-recycled Red Robin pig-out can.
So here is the dilemma. Do I just take their can as my own? If I do, it means I'll be fishing their garbage out and putting it in the regular garbage can {since left over RR scraps aren't considered recyclable items}. OR, do I go to the neighbor's house, knock on the door, and ask them to give me back my empty recycling can and give them back their Red Robin tribute can? I don't want to dig through their garbage, but I also don't want to be the crazy garbage neighbor.
Can't my neighbors just have integrity and learn to recycle and leave my garbage cans be? And who are they to eat so much Red Robin. I mean, really?

10 comments:

brandi (and tim) said...

Gross. I would DEFINITELY go over to their house and get my can back. But I'm a beotch like that. Not that you should feel like that makes you the crazy neighbor, but just the neighbor who isn't going to be pushed around by your (obviously) lazy neighbors. BTW, it is SO much easier to recycle in Utah... here in Vegas, we get these 3 tiny little bins to put all of our recyclables in and they only pick them up every other Friday, which happens to always be the day a big storm is blowing through - and I do mean BLOWING. Trash everywhere. Not only that, the only plastics they take are 1 & 2. Come on Las Vegas, get with the program already.

~b

brandi (and tim) said...

Get your can back and write your address on it in BIG numbers so there is no future "misunderstandings".

t.

amber {daisy chain} said...

I was going to say the same thing as T, do the switcheroo for sure.

Unknown said...

Oooh - that would make me see red. Go get your own back and shame them.

Anonymous said...

I agree-get your can back and if there is any crunchiness maybe buy them a Red Robin take out entree and leave it on their doorstep as a peace offering.

Anonymous said...

get your can back! i accidently took a neighbors recycling can once and he just left my real one outside until I got the hint. then after i gave his back, he put his house number VERY large on the front. it was kind of rude, because i didn't do it on purpose, but now i make sure i take my own.

CaraDee said...

Retards. Do the ol switcheroo. They are lame.
When we moved to Lehi, we had a recycle bin, but I only put cardboard or big ol' plastic jugs in it. One day, I decided to do better. I noticed that almost EVERYTHING I throw away can be recycled. They only come every other week, so sometimes it would be overflowing.
This year, they had a list of approved items, and it did not include glass. Only 1-2 plastics too. Shame. Now I shudder to throw stuff away when I'm at my Mom's because they don't offer the recycling program where she lives.

Anonymous said...

get your garbage can back and let your neighbors know they crossed the line. next thing you know, they'll be switching something else of theirs for yours...
ps--love reading your blog!!!

Holly Conger said...

I'd just politely go over and ask "Did the Recycle truck empty your bin the other day? Cuz, mine didn't get emptied, and what's really weird, is that there are bags of Red Robin leftovers in my bin. (If you want, giggle and flip your hair...) And I don't even eat at Red Robin!" They'd have to come clean! How could they be upset with their cute little neighbor?

Hydes said...

Hey it was great to hear from you and so fun to read your blog. You need to definitely go and get your can back. GOOD LUCK!!!