Trash & Treasure

Some sod stole our garbage bin.

Seriously, why would you?

Of all the things to ‘souvenir’ from someone’s yard, why would you nick the wheelie bin?

I mean, anyone who has ever taken advantage of the Council Clean-up or ‘Hard Rubbish’ service knows that there are scavengers out there. In fact, some people seem to make a living out of cruising the streets on the lookout for the collection in question, and grabbing anything that looks like it could be worth a buck or two… scrap metal, old appliances, discarded furniture or children’s items, hell, they’ll even take the grass it’s sitting on, if you’re not careful! Don’t laugh, I have heard it happen. (Mind you, they wouldn’t take our bindi-eye infested excuse for a nature strip…there is method in our madness after all.)

It’s true: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Every time we’ve had the Council Clean-up in our neighbourhood, I’m not sure whether to be amused or bemused that in the time it takes to dump one load off and go inside for more, the first lot’s often gone before you get back! (Do they sit in their car staking-out the street, for crying out loud?)

And I just bet that you know someone (or someone who knows someone) who has done exactly the same thing- seen an item loitering on the kerbside that you’re sure you can get use or some money out of. My stepson used to do it all the time (unfortunately, he never seemed to score anything that didn’t end up going back out with the next load).

Go on, hit the local market stalls or check on eBay sometime if you dare, you might just recognise something for sale.

Heck, I’ve even ‘threatened’ to put the children out for collection during times when their behavior is driving me up two walls and down again…except I wouldn’t wanna risk that they’d get left behind. Besides, if ever we’ve used that particular ‘threat’ to our kids (champion debaters that they are) they simply come back with the fact that they do not, in fact, constitute what Council states may be left on the kerb. And they’re right. So they stay.

But it baffles me that someone would want our ancient, stinky, broken, really-doesn’t-deserve-to-be-called-a-wheelie-bin, as with the wonky wheels ours has, you have to drag the thing to the side of the road leaving divets in the ground en route. It didn’t even come from our council area, so someone’s already taken it on a road trip of approximately 720 kilometres (I’m not kidding) before we inherited the thing at our house!

The only endearing thing about our bin is that it came from a tiny little town where a couple of cousins happen to reside, and every time I’m taking out the trash I think of them. Not sure what they think of that little scenario, but there you go.

So it was a bit of a surprise when my Beloved went to bring the bin in on his way home from work this morning (after our regular weekly garbage collection) and came inside scratching his head saying “Someone’s nicked the bin!” (He also offered some insight into the possible parentage of said bin-thief, but we don’t need to go into that here.)

I’m a little cranky about it, to tell you the truth, because we’re in the midst of major renovations at our place, and I’ve been filling the thing up as soon as it is emptied, so I’m a little lost as to where to stash the trash in the interim (and here I too pause to reflect on the marital status of pilferer’s parents).

So with tile-cutters screeching, and power saws screaming, I can only sit and wait for our AWOL wheelie bin and hope that the prodigal refuse receptacle returns in time for next week’s collection.

Jx
©2010