Trash Talk: The Ever-Evolving Kitchen Crisis

prickett fence

I have issues dealing with control. To anyone who knows me, this is not a revelation. One of my issues is trash and how to dispose of it. A place for every dirty little thing and every dirty little thing in its place. About that kitchen trash can…

My personal evolution in household waste disposal goes back to my bachelor days. I had roommates who weren’t necessarily house trained, so an outdoor receptacle placed in the center of the kitchen was the best solution. Upside: large and lidded. Downside: stunk of stale beer and old food, and liners were often an afterthought.

As I progressed to living on my own, I found a neat bin with a lid that flipped and doubled as a dustpan. Upside: I always had a dustpan. Downside: My lid looked like a dirty dustpan and kept falling into the trash.

Early in my marriage, pre-kids, the pullout cabinet receptacle was pretty nifty. Once the kids were old enough to use it, near-misses meant stinky cabinets, and its small stature meant hourly trips to take out the garbage.

Eventually we graduated to the wonderful world of stylish stainless steel. The first iteration was round and had a foot pedal. It had a tendency to “walk” when you stepped on the pedal and marred up the wall.

The second generation had a battery powered “touchless” lid. The only real convenience in this was when I changed the batteries every two weeks, I was close to the trash can to dispose of them. Next came its plugged-in cousin. The cheap plastic mechanism broke twice in one year. A broken touchless lid is very frustrating, particularly for the first week or so when I’d blindly wave my hand and dump. Many messes and accompanying profanities ensued.

We are now experimenting with a super tough, decently large, half-moon style, foot-pedal model. It seems to be up to the task so far. $120 on Amazon. Yeah, I have issues.


Get Chris in your inbox. Subscribe to the North Phoenix Newsletter or the Anthem Newsletter

Chris Prickett
Former contractor, former home inspector and funny guy, Chris Prickett is owner and designated broker of Prickett Realty. A New Jersey native, Prickett has been a top-producing REALTOR® in North Phoenix over the past decade. He has been a columnist since 2005. Over the Prickett Fence is published weekly by In&Out Publications.

Chris Prickett

Former contractor, former home inspector and funny guy, Chris Prickett is owner and designated broker of Prickett Realty. A New Jersey native, Prickett has been a top-producing REALTOR® in North Phoenix over the past decade. He has been a columnist since 2005. Over the Prickett Fence is published weekly by In&Out Publications.

chrisprickett has 79 posts and counting.See all posts by chrisprickett