by Marcel Beijer
A TRASH can eating a sweater? In these modern times, it just might.
In the US, Disney World has it. Roosevelt Island in Manhattan’s East River has it. Carmel, Indiana is considering one. And in the Dutch newly built city of Almere, it has been working in the modern city center for some time. An unusual waste system.
Trash cans are connected to an underground network. At a central spot a huge “vacuum cleaner” empties the waste bins at regular intervals.
Resident Dyenne van Stuijvenberg had bought a nice sweater for 80 euros in the city center a few weeks ago, which she carried in a paper bag on her arm. Just as she was walking past one such trash can, the suction system suddenly started working and the can sucked the bag in with brute force. The bag tore and the brand-new sweater disappeared forever into the underground system.
According to experts, the central “vacuum cleaner” empties the trash cans with a force of 45 mph. “The vacuum system makes a huge noise, as if everything goes through a shredder. That way you can also lose a handbag or a small dog if you happen to carry it on your arm.”
A city spokesman for Almere says that Dyenne will be compensated, but still considers the story somewhat implausible. Together with a city worker, Dyenne will in the near future re-enact her misfortune to prove her case.
* Marcel Beijer is a journalist in Almere and winner of the Dutch News Magazine Journalism Prize 2023.
