The Happiest Garbage Truck On Earth

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."~Anne Frank, German-Dutch diarist

After spending over ten years in Asia, the one thing I can say with absolute certainty is that I still only have a fraction of understanding about the culture; things simply work differently on this side of the world, and often understanding is acquired on a minute-by-minute basis by way of the most mundane of circumstances! This accidental run-in with a Taiwanese garbage truck today was an example of just that!

Rounding the corner on our way back to the hotel through Little Europe this afternoon, we heard what sounded like an American ice cream truck – you know, the kind with the “happy music” blaring from the speakers followed by the sound of children racing behind to order their favorite treats. Immediately transported back to my own childhood memories of summer vacations and Good Humor trucks down at the Jersey shore, I was excited to see what the Taiwanese version looked like and craned my neck to see around the bend!

Instead of the giant rolling Mr. Softie I was expecting, we were greeted by a big yellow garbage truck moving slowly down the street from block to block, piping its cheery music and stopping at every intersection so people could toss in their trash! Suddenly finding myself in one of those heightened moments when you’re keenly aware of a new and unique experience, I whipped out my camera just in time.

This mobile “happy face” with its brightly colored attendants rolled up right in front of us as we turned into the street. I was literally bowled over as people shot out from every corner into the intersection carrying neatly tied plastic bags of garbage - the colorful explosion of movement captured my attention almost more than the loudly playing music! Old and young alike, they popped out of their shops, restaurants, businesses and homes to meet the singing truck and tossed in their offerings – large and small, the truck took them all!

What an efficient and positive way to handle a typically dirty, onerous and distasteful job! Ask the community to assist in keeping their neighborhood tidy and provide a clean, singing truck to make the job not only possible, but easy and efficient! On top of that, I'd like to imagine this afternoon ritual is an opportunity for the locals to interact with their neighbors, if even for a brief moment during the trash run!

I watched as young men helped the young girls haul their heavy bags into the truck; old ladies neatly tied up their bags and supervised with a canny eye to make sure others did the same; the trash attendant greeted his “customers” with a nod and a wave; and one guy even practiced his hook shot by “shooting” his bag in from halfway down the block! It was a neighborhood event and we were suddenly, quite by accident, a part of it!

And then, just as suddenly as it appeared, the garbage truck disappeared down the street and the whirlwind of color and sound vanished with it. Another daily routine successfully accomplished by the City of Taichung and its residents, an excellent example of how joint effort can serve to keep city neighborhoods neatly maintained. For myself, these American eyes will never look at a garbage truck the same way again!

I chose today’s quote because I think Anne Frank would have loved this little snapshot of the neighborhood garbage collection here in Taichung! Such a thing would have been unimaginable in her time, but I can’t help but think she’s somewhere now looking on, nodding her approval as she watches this little neighborhood in Taiwan doing their part to improve the world – all with the help of the Happiest Garbage Truck on Earth!