Sunday, January 21, 2007

Taking out the Trash

The moontower at the corner of 41st and Speedway sits across the street from a charming duplex with a not-so-charming dumpster located conspicuously by the front curb. The first to walk out of the duplex is a young man in his late 20's. Today is beautiful - the first nice day in weeks. Inside his apartment, though, is a disaster. Since the cold has lifted, that dumpster doesn't seem quite so far away as it did in the freezing rain. His trash can is so full he doesn't risk removing the bag. He carries the entire thing to the dumpster, clearly focusing on not spilling a single one of the precariously perched items brimming from the plastic bin. Soon the door to apartment A opens again, his girlfriend is close behind him with another bag of trash and their overflowing, royal blue recycling bin wedged under her left arm. Apparently, taking out the trash wasn't nearly as important as staying dry and warm this week. As she arrives with her cargo, the couple exchange a quick kiss, mission accomplished. Apartment A is trash-free.

Meanwhile apartment B is doing some purging of it's own. An older man carrying a stuffed white trash bag and his recycling bin approaches the dumpster. The younger man greets his neighbor and helps toss the trash bag into the rusting bin. A conversation is started. The exchange is jovial and warm, the cold weather has kept the typically social neighbors from their daily chats. Used to running into each other at the mailbox they joke about meeting at thier graffiti-ridden dumpster. The three are smiling and the conversation continues. The group walks together back to the duplex, the older man invites the couple into his home to finish catching up. All three enter apartment B and close the door.

A short while later another couple emerges from the bungalo next door each carrying a recyling bin and a bag of trash, the cold was too much for them as well. The warmer weather has convinced them to emerge as well. This house shares the dumpster with the duplex, and upon arrival they notice the overflowing bin. They stack their recyling bins with the rest and pile their contribution into the awaiting recepticle. Another neighbor jogs past and they wave, but this time no one stops to chat. The sun is setting and a chill is setting in. The woman wraps her coat a little tighter and as they turn back to their home her husband puts his arm around his wife.

6 comments:

Kayla said...

We talked some in class about built objects that seem out of place - the gazebo, for example. I think it's interesting that sometimes mundane and even gross objects like dumpsters are completely accepted by us as appropriate parts of the city while we criticize attempts at beautification. These objects are often the best nodes of social contact, much more socially practical and conducive to conversation than a random piece of architecture built especially for a social purpose.

dmy said...

It's amazing how three seperate groups of people can happen upon each other for the same reason. Once again, weather is the key factor. And I agree with Kayla's comment about even something unattractive and disgusting serving as a social opportunity. Maybe, ultimately, something very broad, general and beautiful, like a nice day, brings people out, but something simple, and solely programatic actually brings people together.

cjfranck said...

Who knew that the very essence of a community could be tied to a garbage bin? This is a great example of an object unintentionally yet satisfactorily fulfilling what is obviously a very meaningful social role.

ANE said...

What I like most about this story is that the object you chose, the dumpster, serves to unite 3 very different groups of people. Your story shows that although people all have their differences, there are a certain few things we have in common-we have needs that must be satisfied and obligations to attend to. In a sense, we are all the same.

Montry said...

The dumpster for my apartment is back in a corner…a not very inviting one at that. The location of this dumpster (while maybe not the best aesthetically) seems to be at the crossroads of different paths. Aside from going directly to the dumpster, the jogger shows that even those not involved with the living quarters can easily access this dumpster. Above all though, from reading the responses above I think a part of the appeal is the dumpster shows signs of use, of human activity, and to a degree that is inviting.

adanziger said...

i really enjoyed your post. trash is an interesting thing. it might be one of the few material thing that we all have in common. we might buy the same bag of chips from the same store but most likely our empty chip bags are going to the same place. we all produce trash, some more than others, and we all rely on someone else to get it away from us. we have little or no idea where it is going or who is taking it but we all have it. common place nessecities like this dumpster are often the most exciting places. they provide for chance run ins and nice conversations. i am curious to see your intervention. is adding another trash dumpster to prevent the overflow too simple ?