When most people think of trash and garbage trucks, Beethoven and Bądarzewska are not who usually come to mind…unless you're in Taiwan! For the past few decades, the densely-populated island nation's environmental agency has administered official garbage trucks to play classical music in order to alert citizens to gather their rubbish and bring it all outside, directly to the collectors, so that the waste doesn't have to wait on the ground to be picked up. Nice and clean!
Apparently classical music isn't the only style of tunes the trucks play. Christmas music is the prime choice during the holiday season, and traditional Chinese songs at Chinese New Year. And this all seems to work just fine…most citizens seem to have no issue cooperating with this program.
I have my doubts this would be successful in Los Angeles, even in my ultra-environmental friendly neighborhood of Silver Lake. The concept of everyone obediently being available to go outside and dutifully wait in line to help the garbage men seems a bit optimistic -- not to mention the debates about which music to pick would probably go on forever! (Skrillex or Black Star? Darker My Love or Zola Jesus???! You get my drift…)
Still, a very cool look at how an extremely crowded little country is dealing with its high population vis-a-vis its growing environmental awareness overall.
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