2022
When you hear the beautiful music "Für Elise" what will comes out in your brain? Wow~ it's beautiful! But to Taiwanese, oh! here comes the trash truck, I HAVE TO RUSH!
okay, I know you will think it weird but it's a daily routine for us and it's a culture shock for foreigners who visit Taiwan at the first time. In here, we packed trash and recycling disposal then dump them into trash car by ourselves instead of people come to clean public trash can as other countries. How people knows trash truck coming? The trash truck plays "Für Elise" to let people know time to dump trash and you can check the schedule on the website or APP.
Trash car schedule is different in every places and we have different rules such as Taipei and New Taipei City have no trash car on Wednesday and Sunday, you have to buy special trash bag what collect cleaning fee in Taipei and New Taipei city what you can buy in the convenient store or super market, or in my hometown where has specific days for recycling.
However, the same point is you can finding the white recycling car behind the yellow trash car. As I know, Taiwan is one of global leader of recycling and recycling rates is over 50%! Because we separate waste and recycling waste in daily, there's a cleaner follies trash car to check people dump waste into right place and they will ask you to take it back if you dump waste to recycling car.
I know it's inconvenient for some people can't match trash car schedule so they will pay someone to dump garage for them and most of elder neighbors like the part time job or some apartments have contract cleaner so that you just dump disposal to the waste can in the spots, then cleaning company will collect waste everyday and you don't need to rush everyday!
In my hometown, it's an activity to gather with neighbors especially for elders because they meet up in same place for dumping disposal and sometimes sharing gossips together. What a great activity to connect relationship and fit in a community when you just move in because you can meet new people who is keen to help you. ?
All of my foreigner friends are interested in Taiwanese trash truck and they always asked me the schedules in the spots they live, some of them will shot a video to show friends and family. Maybe you can experience the spacial culture next time when you visit Taiwan.
