So THAT's how they do that....

In the US we have dumpsters or individual trash cans that are put out weekly. In Amsterdam we have neighborhood trash stations instead. The 3 containers in the picture are all trash cans - and they serve the entire block. They're kind of small considering all of the apartments they serve and we weren't initially sure where the trash went when the door was closed. We knew the trash dropped somewhere because we could hear it, but we didn't know if there were underground tunnels throughout the city where trash was picked up unseen by the public or if there was some other way. The answer revealed itself the other day on my way to work. Each trash can is attached to a metal box underneath the sidewalk. When the garbage truck comes, a hook lifts the entire unit (box included) out of the ground to empty the trash.



It's a nice design because you don't have to look at (or smell) the trash (like with dumpsters) and it doesn't attract rodents. Plus - after you put your trash in, there's no way for anyone to get in there to rummage around for receipts or other personal information. Recycling is handled the same way.

I also witnessed weed killing "speed style." Instead of merely walking down the street with his weed spray, this guy used an ATV! It looked like way more fun than walking and kind of reminded me of a polo match :-)