What’s up with the trash, Taiwan?
There is never a morning that goes by where I’m not awakened by the sound of Fur Elise coming from the streets of Taichung. Some Americans might be tempted to run outside for the ice cream man. In fact, I think it may just be a cruel joke that the Taiwan government plays on Americans living in Taiwan. If I were to run outside in anticipation of a sweet and cold delight, I would be gravely disappointed.
The sound that has become my alarm clock on many a morning is actually the garbage truck. Yes, the garbage truck plays music. Ice cream truck music even. But this isn’t even the worst part of trash in Taiwan.
There are no public trashcans . Seriously. There are virtually none except for the measly ones that you will find in front of 7-11′s (which are a WHOLE ‘nother story entirely).
This leads to people either having to hold onto their trash until they get home or throwing it on the already polluted streets. It doesn’t seem to phase anyone but I started to ask my Taiwanese friends about it.
“What’s up? Why are there no trash cans in public?”, I asked as I tried to figure out if it were some sort of cultural difference that I’m not keen to.
“I don’t know. I can’t answer that. It’s a big problem”
Hmm… It appears that I’m not alone in this sentiment. A little research shows that the public opinion is that insufficient public trash cans are a huge problem. So, what’s the deal Taiwan? How hard is it to put out some public trash cans and have them properly disposed of? I can deal with the Fur Elise and even the burning trash thing but I really need something to properly dispose of my Zen Zu Ni Cha. Work on it.
Precisely. What I find most frustrating about the trash collection here is that it only comes in the late afternoon, which almost always co-incides with a class. Even though I live right next door to work, I still rarely manage to actually get home and take out the garbage. Consequently, it gets left to my housemate to do it. This is problematic because he also works in the afternoons and has to commute to get there, and also, because I always feel like he gets stuck with the job because I’m not there. Lately, I haven’t even been around on the weekends to take out the garbage. Annoying.
Often, we end up with a week’s worth of garbage on our balcony until the weekend, which is a great sight when you first enter the apartment. It’s especially great when it rains and leaks!
Also, yes, the lack of public trash cans is a problem too. It’s one of these weird things about Taiwan. In some ways, it’s very advanced, and they seem to eagerly embrace the latest technology, fashion, etc., yet they stumble over really basic things like this. It never ceases to throw me off balance. The uneven footpaths (sidewalks) freak me out a little too. You know the ones I mean? Where there are steps and different levels despite there not being any raised terrain in sight. What’s up with that?
I’ll tell you what else I don’t get. What’s with all the bathroom tiles on the outsides of buildings?
We should/could make a list!
HEIDI, IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE MAYBE THIS A PROBLEM MAYBE THE CITY GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE AWARE OF. WHY DON’T YOU TRY TO ADDRESS IT TO THEM? OR MAYBE I AM NOT AWARE OF HOW THE GOVERNMENT WORKS THERE? PERHAPS YOU SHOULD EDUCATE YOUR GRANDMA ON THAT. I GUESS WHEN YOU ARE USED TO THE SYSTEM WE HAVE HERE IN LA MIRADA YOU CAN’T IMAGINE IT BEING ANY DIFFERENT ANYWHERE ELSE. IT SEEMS SO SIMPLE TO US. I GUESS YOU REALLY DON’T APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE UNTIL YOU LOSE IT. AS MAMA LUZ USED TO TELL US ALL THE TIME.” Uno no sabe lo que tiene hasta que lo ve perdido.” I LOVE AND MISS YOU MORE EVERY DAY. LOVE, GRANDMA
Trash trucks playing “Fur Elise” !!! Now that’s pretty civilized….if they only had trash cans that would be utopia! I have to say, though you have a trash problem, your writing describing it has a touch of irony, so I enjoyed reading your story. I sent you an email couple of weeks ago, asking you to watch out for the monkeys, but I guess it didn’t go through. Oh well…..watch out for the monkeys!!! Keep on embracing this experience in all its fullness — language barriers, insufficient trash cans, beautiful children, stunning landscape!!! Lots of Love, AUNT MARTHA
Haha the music is funny but the problem of pollution is not!
In Ghana people threw trash into the streets. At the end of the day someone would sweep the trash into the open sewers, then the sewers became clogged which created standing pools of water, otherwise known as mosquito breeding grounds…..HELLO MALARIA! It was amazingly frustrating to see such a stoppable cycle of sickness and death.
I’m working on a masters in international public health to tackle problems like the garbage one. Hopefully with time things will change in places like Ghana and Thailand.
Hey Jackie,
That’s pretty disturbing about Ghana. Taiwan definitely isn’t as bad as that. It’s a very industrialized nation… But their system could use improvements for sure.
Glad to hear we have awesome people like you working on a solution!
Haha I try!
Thank you for the post!