12/22/2011

In this Island, garbage is gold and people fight for it.  Collecting garbage used to be a job only for the elderly and unfortunate people.  Not any more, the garbage collectors are self-employed and very territorial.  Recycling garbage is a business and people go for it.  When, where, how and what to put out your garbage takes strategy. In the city, the singing garbage truck (playing a recording of Young Girl’s Prayer by Bache) comes once a day. Man, what a sight!   You can hear the music from blocks away, then everyone comes out with their bags of separated garbage, in five minutes, it was over.  I did my first garage throw in Kaohsiung fifteen minutes before the pick-up time and offer my help to a young guy who has only one little trash bag so he won’t be waiting. He responds, “It’s quite ok, it’s nice to see neighbors and talk a little bit”.  My true garbage run happened in Peitou, a district of Taipei with mountains and hills.  The steep uphill route means neither the garbage truck can stop nor can the residents slow down.  My neighbors and I line up single file on opposite side of the street so we can all throw at once.  Within seconds, it was over!