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Monday, August 23, 2004

It's all in the bag! -- TheJudge || Post in the forum

Submitted byTheJudge

I’m back at my post! Vacation time is done so here is a short but fascinating blur.

During my time of peace and serenity, I’ve made many observations about the world I live in. You see, I realised that I was so caught up in a routine both at home and at work and now I commit to breaking it! Fear not loyal readers, I will keep writing articles for TehGeekery (OMFGLOL!!11). In order to break this cycle, I think I need to look at the world around me and ask "Why?" to everyhting I see and do. Today, I share one of my observations from my quest for ultimate wisdom. Yes, some of you feel this wisdom has eluded me for quite some time. Please bear with me as I try to keep my head above the water and resurface in a triumphant moment of glory! OK, how about I just shut up and get to the article already?

It was a beautiful Tuesday morning and that meant garbage collection day. I watched as the truck stopped in front of every driveway. Then the filthy but dedicated garbage man from the back would jump on the ground, rush to grab a pile of crap that laid there at his feet. He would then hurl the said bags of trash in the back of his truck, sometimes swearing as the content feel out from the ripped bottom of the plastic bag which was torn by wild animals the night before. The man would then hop back on the little step at the back of the truck and hold on tight until the driver made it to the next driveway which was 60 feet away. Then, the procedure would be repeated until they reached the end of the street. Then, the truck would turn around and the same process would take place until the other side of the street was done.

For a moment, I was puzzled. “Surely, there must be a better way to do this!” I thought. And as I tried to focus on possible solutions while trying to shut out the annoying and persistent sound of the truck’s worn off brake pads that would reoccur every 25 seconds or so, I came up with a solution. But this solution was so ridiculously simple there had to be a reason why it was never implemented. But what go be wrong with my idea? It would increase productivity by at least 30% and would extend the life of the truck’s brake pads, in fact it would almost double it! This idea would require no investment and it would in fact be a cost saving alternative to the method used that day. No dear readers, I just couldn’t believe no one had thought of this. Surely, I would be in line for the next Nobel prize if all cities in the world implemented my idea! So, have you figured out what I’m talking about yet? It’s quite simple really.

“What if I crossed the street with all my garbage bags, and dumped them next to my neighbour’s pile of garbage on his side of the street? What if everyone from my side of the street did the same? And what if everyone in the city did this on their own streets?” I pondered on this for a second and smiled. If everyone bothered to do this, the truck driver would only have to make one pass and stay on one side of the street and he would need to make 50% less stops thus saving on the brake pad cost. Consider that the constant stop and go would also be reduced by 50% overall, this would mean savings on gas and also less toxic emissions for my tree friends. Also, the overall time required to make the garbage route would probably be reduced by 20% therefore reducing the required workforce and saving money in salaries and vehicle maintenance. All of this could be implemented in a matter of days and all that would be required is for people like me to make just a few extra steps to get across the street and only once a week.

So my loyal readers, am I just on crack here or has no one ever considered the obvious? It’s such a small thing for all of us to do! Surely it can’t be that simple… I must be missing something.

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