Amid our forced inactivity due to COVID, garbage day is a high point

The plastic, glass and metals go into one container, papers and cardboard go into another. Anything that can compost has its own green container with a locked lid, so that vermin and squirrels don’t get in. Then, on every third week there is room for yard waste and large objects like mattresses.

I especially look forward to the arrival of the garbage truck. It is a matter of positive reinforcement, especially if the driver loads my bins into the appropriate areas of the truck without any resorting.

It is an automatic reward system announcing that I did it right in the first place.

Sometimes, if there is a major mistake, like not binding cardboard boxes after breaking them down, I will get a pink slip, like a large sticky note with my offence circled in black. It’s the equivalent of a dunce cap. The slip signifies the area I have to work on in order to get it right for the next pickup day. I have a week. It gives meaning and purpose to my week.

There may be no social life, drive to job, or entertainment, but there is still garbage day. Marty Rempel Waterloo