Curb-onomics

One man’s trash…

It just looked like a pile of paper from the outside. And I guess because it was paper, it sort of weighed a lot. But the plastic bag I used to haul all that paper to the curb had probably previously hauled groceries from a local store so it could take the weight. And if you looked inside that bag, you’d have seen a number of famous people – John F. Kennedy, Winston Churchill and the Apollo 11 astronauts – all captured on the front pages of old newspapers with headlines such as:

“Kennedy Assassinated,” lamented the Globe and Mail in 1963.

“Churchill Mourned,” announced the Toronto Star in 1965.

“Man Steps On The Moon,” read the Toronto Telegram on July 21 1969. And the newsprint of the Tely, some of you will remember, was coloured pink! (more…)

Morning delight

Sanitary truck at work, photo Miller Waste Management.

It’s one of the best feelings of the week. In our part of town, it usually happens Tuesday. I get up pretty early each day it happens. I make sure everything’s just so; sometimes I partly prepare things the night before. Then, about the middle of the morning, (since I’m on holidays this week, I’m actually around to see it happen) there’s that visit. There’s that telltale engine roar and sudden stop in front of my house. Sometimes it comes with a friendly wave.

“Have a nice day,” the guy in the Miller Waste truck says.

“You too,” I answer.

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