Journal Prompt 3

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“What would people find in your garbage bin”?

Interesting question. Before answering this, I need to define which garbage bin we are actually talking about? Is it the waste paper basket that sits beside me here at the computer or is it the green wheelie bin outside? Is it the kitchen bin near the counter or the one under my desk at work? Each of these would have different articles hidden in their depths. So let’s start with the one beside me.

If I emptied the contents of this on the floor, the Garden Gnome (keeper of the vacuum cleaner) would swear because tumbling out would be fabric off-cuts and threads trimmed from my quilt as I’ve been working on it. You may also find empty printer cartridges and empty lolly (candy) packets (shhh don’t tell anyone). There may even be some screwed up paper but overall, not much in this bin to tell much about my life.

Putting on my CSI cap and channelling Gil Grissom (yes I loved the original CSI. Ted Danson just doesn’t do it for me), what would I find in my outside bin? Certainly nothing worth being paid all that money to be a CSI that’s for sure. You might find the cat litter, the bags from the inside bin and any bits and pieces the Garden Gnome has picked up from the front garden. The recycling bin might tell some stories though with newspapers, magazines, packaging and bottles. You’d find out where I lived because the local paper finds its way here . Really? There’s how many empty beer bottles? Does someone in this house really drink almond milk??  And who ate all that cheese?? Who loves Milo? My gosh, this house is insane!!! Let’s try the other bin again Gil.

Shine your flashlight over here Katherine. What is that? It looks like someone has chewed on the corner of whatever it is. Swab it and we’ll test it later. Move those banana peels out of the way and pull out that piece of paper. What’s written on it? Looks like a school note about end of year celebrations and a Christmas concert. What’s on that other piece of paper? Not sure, it’s a bit damp from the old tea bag (Tetley Green). It looks like a shopping list. They must have a pest problem because there is insect spray on the list. Looks like someone is going to do some baking as well. Lots of baking goods listed. Bag it Katherine, it could be useful. Move those watermelon rinds and the apple core. Can you see anything else that might be useful? Just some receipts from Target and K-Mart. Lots of toys. I guess that figures with Christmas coming. Hmmm they use Pantene for their hair. I’ve heard it’s good stuff. The weather has been hot lately. This bin is beginning to smell.

Well I think we’re done here Katherine. Not much of interest in this bin that would link the occupants to any crime. Let’s call it a night! 🙂

12 thoughts on “Journal Prompt 3

  1. Love. The CSI take 🙂 I remember when I was little and we had the little metal bins . I loved to wake to the garbage truck noise ( they came really early around 3am ) and watch how they lifted the bins with such ease, lifting the lids as they walked and tossing the contents into the truck.

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    1. Yes, the metal garbage bins and the garbos with their footy shorts and flannies with the sleeves ripped off. I remember them well. We’d leave a tallie out for them at Christmas time too.
      Remember the dunny man? I still remember watching them.

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        1. That’s so funny.
          When I lived with my grandmother, she also had the milkman and the baker come around. Whenever I think of the baker I can remember the smell of his leather pouch he wore around his waist with his money in it. It smelled of fresh baked bread.

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  2. A great post. I’d hate to reveal the contents of my wheelie bin! And, while we’re strolling down memory lane, remember when we had bread, and fruit and veggies delivered by men with horse drawn carts? Oh, and milk delivered to the door?

    Yvonne

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    1. Don’t remember horse drawn carts but I do remember the bread being delivered and hearing the clink of the milk bottles as the milkman did his early morning rounds.

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  3. I remember milk being delivered to our door, but I have no idea what the other things you’re talking about are.

    As far as digging through the garbage,to learn about us? Wine drinkers, cat lovers, (oh, that should be lover), my cats are full of some rather nasty smelling stuff, sometimes we have take-out food more than others, and lots of yarn threads, so there must be a knitter in our home. Lastly, for some reason we are targets for catalogs.

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    1. The dunny man was responsible for emptying the contents of our outside toilets! lol
      Yes, we get lots of junk mail here as well. The GG loves them. Then I take them to work and pass them on to one of our managers who doesn’t get any delivered at all.
      And we have only one cat lover in this house also… although I have caught him playing with her.

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  4. That would an interesting search. I suppose it would tell a lot about the family that lives in the house. Mine would consist of used coffee filters, ice cream containers (my husband loves ice cream) and lots of empty vegetable cans and freezer packages. We should eat fresh veggies, but we don’t. Oh, and lots of junk mail and coupons. That would be proof that I’m not as thrifty as I should be.

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  5. Your step Father always likes to fill the bin ,as it gets toward garbage day he clips the creepers and shrubs ,so now we have a recycle bin nothing exciting is in our other bin because we use icecream (plastic)containers we also use margarine containers anything I can put a plant in I do.Growing up in my Grandmothers house I learned the art of reclying.Tea packets (1/2 lb),(no tea bags then) we saved cut in half decorated with crape paper and filled with home made lollies and sold at the church fete .dresses had full skirts then and when the bodice was worn out the skirts were sewed onto old towels to make bath mats I remember seeing my sister’s skirt hanging at the bathroom window as curtains ,you used to wear pants made from these skirts when you moved up from nappies Daughter,.all steel cans were washed and used for.plant pots .now I use newspaper to put into pots with cuttings in to sell at the markets by the time the news paper has rotted away the roots are coming out.We never have a lot of food waste because we have 2 doge and your step father who hates waste

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