Talking trash (cans)

Last updated on: October 20, 2017 at 7:32 pm by Fred Clark

Talking trash (cans) 2017-10-20T19:32:32-04:00 Fred Clark

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

We need to talk about lids, people. Lids for trash cans, lids for totes, bins, and containers of all kinds.

These things all come with lids. The lids are important. The lids are paid for. The lids are part of the thing you’re buying when you buy a trash can, or a tote, or a rubberized plastic storage container. These things all need lids.

But the thing is that many people who pay their hard-earned money for these things don’t take the lid. Many, many people.

When you buy a container, the lid comes with it. Take the lid, please.

Those are all leftover lids. The warehouse sends the Big Box a dozen trash cans and a dozen lids. We sell a dozen trash cans but maybe only eight of those customers take their lids. The same thing happens the following week, and the week after that, and the week after that. And then every few months when we get a chance we count cans and lids, notice that we have ridiculously more of the latter than of the former, and purge all the extra lids.

I appreciate that part of the problem here is one our side of the equation. Large capacity containers are awkward to merchandise conveniently and attractively. They take up a lot of space and so, to avoid having just one of each on the shelves, we nest them inside one another, and we can’t do that if we leave the lids on. So the lids are usually stacked nearby. In theory, this didn’t seem to be a complicating obstacle. In practice, it appears to be confusing.

My boss thinks that people don’t take the lids because they worry that lids cost extra. Let me clear that up: Lids do not cost extra.

When you buy the trash can, you’re also already buying the lid. It’s your lid. And now that you’ve taken your new trash can home, the store has no further use for that lid — it’s your lid, not theirs. It will sit around gathering dust and taking up space until it eventually winds up in a landfill, never having been used.

And that’s a shame, because lids are useful — they keep rain out of your trash can. They keep the wind from blowing loose bits of trash out of the bin and onto the street. They provide at least a modicum of challenge for the neighborhood raccoons.

The Big Box sells totes that cost more than the others because they have fancy lids: lids that snap, lids that lock, ingenious lids that snap and lock. These totes cost quite a bit more just because of their lids. Customers look at that higher price and think to themselves, “Yes, that extra $8 is worth it because that fancy lid is quite nice.”

And then they still leave the lid behind.

Those paid-for-but-untaken fancy lids also become useless when separated from the containers for which they were designed. They also wind up getting thrown out, taking up fancy space in the same landfill.

Point here being: Take your lid.

This odd lid-leaving phenomenon is good news for anyone who has lost their lid, or who owns a trash can or tote with a broken lid. Go back to the store you bought it from and ask if you can have a new lid to replace the old one. They’ll give it to you, for free. They’ll be happy to do so because, as you can see from that picture above, they have a lot of extras.

While we’re on the subject: That stack of extra lids on the right is all for 32-gallon trash cans. You do not want a 32-gallon trash can.

To understand why, look at the box of trash bags you use in your kitchen waste bin. That’s the biggest source of household trash — the can in the kitchen. This is usually a 13-gallon can. That’s why that box of bags says they’re the standard 13-gallon size. That size — 13 gallons — is what “kitchen trash bag” means.

Now, divide 32 by 13. See the problem here? The standard size for kitchen trash bags is 13 gallons and the customary size for the outdoor trash cans into which those bags will be deposited is 32 gallons. This is some sort of cruel practical joke. It means that after putting a couple of bags of kitchen trash in that can, it will look temptingly like you’ll be able to fit a third, but that third bag will not fit. Mathematically. The 32-gallon outdoor trash can will only hold 2.46 bags of trash from your kitchen.

(This is my theory as to why customers don’t take those lids. There’s no point in having a lid if you can’t close the thing because you’ve always got .54 bags of trash sticking up out of the top.)

In summary, it’s your lid, so take it with you. And tell your friends to take their lids, too.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

October 20, 2017

LBCF, No. 156: 'Martyr envy

Next Post

October 22, 2017 Sunday favorites

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category class warfare evangelicals Iraq Left Behind Mammon music Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What is the name of the first book in the New Testament?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Luke Matthew Mark John