After the Garbage Truck Leaves

GARISBUMI.com – There is one sound that often makes people rush out of the house in the morning. Not the voice of a greengrocer. Not even a bread seller. The sound of a garbage collection vehicle.

As soon as it was heard from the end of the alley, the plastic bags were immediately taken out. Some are neatly tied, leak at the bottom, or have to be lifted while keeping your hands away from your body because the smell starts to become unpleasant.

The bag went into the cart. The cart is running. We go back into the house. Finished.

At least, that's how we feel. The kitchen is clean again. The heart also calms down. Where the waste goes, we rarely think about. The important thing is, it's no longer in front of the house. In fact, for trash, the journey has only just begun.

September 20 is celebrated as World Cleanup Day. The warning feels lonely. There is not much news about movements to clean rivers, beaches, roads or public spaces.

Maybe there is. It's just that the impact is much smaller than the waste problem which is getting bigger every day.

Warning: It doesn't always have to be busy. There doesn't have to be a stage, speeches, uniform t-shirts, and group photos. Sometimes, a warning is enough to make us stop and ask: once the garbage truck leaves, whose business does it start?