One of the downsides of living rural in New Zealand is the public services are not what you would expect to have if you were a city dweller. For example, no mains water and sewage and no trash collection. You do of course pay slightly lower rates although missing out on the trash collection doesn’t make a difference.
That’s because here in New Zealand trash collection is a self funding system where you buy bags from the supermarket and this then covers the costs of not just the bag but also the collection.Â
If you’re wondering whether I’ve lost my marbles again I’ve not. I’m just wanted to celebrate the fact that we’ve recently got a new trash collection service to Kaitoke. Wooooopeeee. I’m excited. No more waiting for weeks till I’ve got a car load of rubbish and then driving 20 minutes to take it to the landfill site. All we need to do now is put the trash in the trash can and wheel it up to the gate.
It takes me 500 steps to get it from it’s resting place by the barn to the gate and let me tell you over half of those steps are up hill. I am totally relieved that I can park the wheelie bin at the gate and not have to take it up the lane to the road. If I had I can tell you I’d been in my inventing shed right now finding a way to get the darn thing to the road without me dragging it behind me.
Here’s a few of the initial inventions I was going to prototype:
- A basset yoke and harness system for them to take the weight and pull it behind
- A wheelie bin tow bar attachment for the back of the car
- A mechanism for attaching the wheelie bin to the lawn mover to manoeuvre it and mow the paddock at the same time
- A harness for me to pull it up the hill as part of a new resistance training jog squad.
Luckily I can rest easy and just concentrate on dragging the thing the 500 steps up the hill to the gate and be satisfied I can have an extra cookie with tea after I’ve done it!
I’d like to thank Al’s Binz and the lovely Rose in their office who has made this all possible for us.
Doesn’t it look beautiful!
The council gave us a wheelie bin for our fortnightly rubbish collection. Slight problem – the house is 1/2 a mile from the road up a very steep hill. It would make for a very interesting haul. Instead we take up the bags which have to be left out overnight as they collect before 7 in the morning.
I’ve loads of questions. Do you collect rain water or have a bore hole? What kind of filters do you use? We sank a bore hole in the garden when the original 3ft! well, 2 fields away, proved inadequate for a family of 5. And what about your septic tank, Do you have an ordinary one that has to be emptied or do you have an ‘onion’ type tank with filters and aeration that doesn’t need emptying? It’s the little details that keep me happy!
I had no idea you had to take all your stuff to the tip….nightmare! Good job thats sorted though with that nice new shiny wheely. I love the idea about getting the bassets hooked up with a harness system…hillarious stuff! x
Hi Julie, my BATW post introducing you is going to go up a little later than expected. The other blogger being spotlighted with you is having technical difficulties. I will have it publish at 3am my time on the East coast of the US. NY time. Sorry about that!
Thanks for hosting us from BATW!!! I love KIWIS!!! Had a few Kiwi Roomies in college and love your accents! Thanks for sharing about your place…and who’d have thought I’d need to be reminded not to take my trash men for granted!!!
Again, it is the little things that you’d never think about (I HATE trash and this would kill it for me if I had to put it in my car YUCK!). In a way it’s nice without the red tape and bureaucracy, I’m sure but what a pain some of the other things are in retrospect. Not that you’d change it, right?
Those are some very impressive ideas you have for your inventions! I know I’d be initially thinking, “hey, this’ll be great excercise for me”, but that would last about the first 20 steps or so. Hauling garbage would get old really quick.
“Al’s Litta Binz.” LOL. I think Al should sell his “bins” in America just so I can see his sign and chuckle.
Since I live in an apartment, I simply have to walk my trash to the big communal trash can. Which is maybe 30 seconds walk from my door, a fact that I’m very thankful of.