Garbage laws of the land..

Garbage laws of the land..

Garbage disposal rules. I'm sure we've all been through our fair share of woes when it comes to these sometimes anal, sometimes ambiguous rules. Can we put paper in the organic waste? Do we seriously need different coloured bins for all our different garbage? Is this biodegradable plastic or not? You get the point.

Off late, my expat coaching clients have mostly been from Saudi Arabia, living in a province in the Netherlands with particularly stringent garbage disposal rules. And garbage collection happens once a week for organic waste and once in two weeks for other waste in this province.

What's the matter with that you ask...

Here is where the culture around food makes a big difference. You see, with the food culture that exists in the Netherlnds - bread and cheese, brodjes (sandwiches with cold cuts), breakfast cereals, salads and the occasional friets (french fries), one wouldn't think about garbage disposal as a big deal. After all, it's just a matter of throwing away some potato peels and the occasional left over salads.

In cultures like Saudi Arabia or India (or any Asian country for the matter), where we are big on cooking our three meals during the day, and where there is a large variety of fish, meat and vegetables, this once-a-week garbage disposal poses a problem. Organic garbage starts to smell and the last thing you want is smelly garbage in a fully sealed house during winter!

My clients tell me of drastic measures they have had to take - putting their fish and meat waste in their freezer till it is their day to throw garbage out, driving out a few kilometers to find a garbage bin, etc.

These differences are interesting to observe - especially because rule makers often make these rules based on their own cultural perspective.

What is the strangest garbage disposal rule you have encountered?

#mondaymorningmusing #interculturalliving

Anandam Ravi

Instructional Designer and Manager

2y

I completely resonate with the garbage conundrum! My entire life revolved around garbage for the first month after we moved to Belgium!

Vincent MERK

Intercultural trainer & consultant, speaker and author. Intercultural communication and management, professional mobility and Diversity & Inclusion specialist.

2y

For me the strangest rule is that there is no uniformity in the rules... they indeed differ from one municipality to the other, why? Local circumstances may influence the collecting and sorting process. Or do we have different eating patterns between town and provinces?

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