In my house, I’m the one to take out the trash. Sometimes, I wonder what it’s like to see an empty trashcan where just a little earlier there was a full one. Can you describe what it is like? Do people even think about this kind of thing?
Good God. Are you reading my mind wo/man? Last night, the garbage was miraculously emptied (by my husband, one can assume - oh! The gender stereotype! It burns! It burns!). Anyway, I did, in fact, note my reaction, which, when typed, is most easily conveyed as:
AHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhh…sigh.
Seriously. He was out of town, and it was getting full, and there was a slow tension building in me as it filled. It never got to the point where it *had *to be emptied, but it was close. I somehow felt that emptying it myself was a strange betrayal - a message that he wasn’t essential to the household, and we could get along without him. So I left it, and the tension grew. Finally, he came home from his trip, and last night the garbage can was virginal again.
It felt really, really nice. All is right with the world again.
Can’t you just empty it, run AS FAST AS YOU CAN to wherever you put the trash bag, then run back quickly to see an empty can? Or just empty it, but place the bag in the floor for a little while while you “reload” the can with a new bag and then jsut take a moment to look at it before bringing it to the curb/garage/wherever you put it?
I live alone, so 'm always the one to take it out, so I get the bset of both worlds! (not that there is a best to taking it out…but if there were, I’d get it!)
No. The point is, it has to be unexpected. You can’t know that the trash was taken out.
FTR, I’m male.
I wish I knew. In almost seven years of marriage, my wife has never taken out the garbage. Or mowed the lawn. ::sigh::
Get over it. Some people empty cans before others think they are full. If the others don’t think they are full you will never see one empty. It’s mathematically impossible. Ask any math major.
I know what it’s like to not have noticed when the trash was emptied. As in, when an adult child visits and snuck it out to be helpful. I’m a baaaad mother.
(Not that they didn’t get thanked. None of them are above pointing out things they should be thanked for if there’s a chance of it going unnoticed.)
It’s lovely to see that the trash has been taken out, however I always seem to have to replace the bag. I do enough, that is one chore that can be his, always and forever.
My husband takes it out sometimes. It’s practically like getting a present. In the same vein, when my step-daughters visited two years ago, they MOPPED THE KITCHEN FLOOR! OMG! What a great feeling!
It feels a lot like when you turn to the toilet paper, and there’s a new roll installed, rather than a cardboard tube or small glue-ridden leftover shreds. Ever experienced that? I did, once. Sort of a momentary sense of delight and novelty. Like when you see an empty laundry hamper (not full of dirty laundry OR unfolded and stowed clean laundry). It feels like Christmas or your birthday or something. Or when you find an untouched 6-pack of beer in the fridge that someone else bought and has not drunk yet. It feels like realizing that someone else has phoned for pizza AND has cash. Or coming home and someone vacuumed.
After reading these posts, I must conclude… I do too much.
Empty trash and replace bag: check
Replace toilet tissue roll ‘before’ it completely empty : check
Mow lawn : check
Car repair : check
Pay bills and other financial dealings : check
Grocery shop : check
Clean cat litter box : check
Misc home repairs : check
Work full-time job : check
Cook meals : check [though we do order a -lot- of take-out]
1/2 share load/unload dishwasher : check
Replace towels in bathrooms : check. [ Pet peeve. The Mrs. does the laundry. Takes her an entire weekend to do so even though there are 4 of us [ one kid and her mother] and we have those huge front loader machines. She’ll take the towels outta the bathrooms, but not replace with others. Just leaves an empty rack. ]
So, to answer the OP… I dunno, how would it feel to have the trash disappear?
Oh, my goodness. Marry me? That is, if you weren’t already married, and I weren’t already married? Total fantasy guy, here.
Mrs. Furthur
When I was growing up, my family took the trash out on Wednesday night (garbage guys came Thursday morning). It didn’t matter if we’d been on vacation up till then and there wasn’t a single piece trash anywhere in any receptical. If it was Wednesday night, the trash went out. On the flip side, it didn’t matter if there was so much trash in the various bins that you’d have to create new wonders of architecture trying to put one more piece on the tower of trash. If it wasn’t Wednesday night, the trash wasn’t going out. Imagine my joy when I moved out and realized that I could take out trash whenver it was needed!
I must say, I opened this thread thinking it was about something else. Inevitably, every time I take out the trash, I find a couple thing to throw away after I come back. It never fails! I can go all through the house looking for things to throw out and not see them till after I return from trash taking out. The universe abhors a vaccuum and my house, apparently, abhors an empty trash can!
meanoldman, you are not alone. I’ll add
Clean bathroom: check
Vacuum floors: check
A difference from your list is that my wife and I share cooking fairly evenly, but she does not wash any dishes. (Well there have been maybe a dozen times in the last 5 years when she has washed a partial load – more of an exception to normal behavior.) Oh well, it’s a good thing I love her. Commenting on the disparity just makes her feel bad, but does not change behavior.
To respond to the OP, I would speculate that if someone notices at all, it is probably a mild “oh good, they are taking care of it” feeling, but not much more. Perhaps analogous to sheep being surprised by things – quickly forgotten. (I think this was an element in one of Douglas Adams’ Dirk Gently books.)
It is trash day today. I don’t think she even noticed as I made my rounds yesterday emptying the bins and gathering the recycling.
As I live alone, it would be kind of scary. Or it would mean that the cat has learned an amazing new trick.
FOr me, the absolute best is when the garbage can next to my computer desk is emptied. Ahhhh, bliss.
Almost as good is when my husband goes through the living room and gathers up the dozens of diet coke cans, water bottles, and beer bottles that seems to accumulate on every single flat service throughout the week.
I’m watching this thread intently. My wife claims she took out the trash when I was away this weekend, but it was full again by the time I got back, so I had to take it out anyway.
Occasionally, I will sneak out of my bedroom to witness both my roomate and his g/f pick up their fast-food wrappers and carefully place the empty sacks/bags on top of a garbage can that is already about 120% full.
It’s almost like they’re playing “garbage jenga”, carefully constructing their trash-tower so that the excess doesn’t spill over and onto the floor. Minutes later, they’ll leave the apartment entirely, the thought of grabbing/taking the garbage out not even crossing their minds.
COMPLETELY INSANE!
Can’t wait 'till I’ve got my own apt!
Or was really, really hungry.
Maybe we can trade? I’ve only been married two years, but my Dearest has not done either, either. If we were married, we could take alternate weeks off. 
I kid, I kid, but a week off is a happy thought.