Empty the trash when it gets full (a housekeeping tip from mom)
If the trash bin is ready to be emptied, then it is time to empty the trash. We can't afford to pile up trash on top of the bin: that makes it even harder to take out any trash!
If the trash is smelly, it's full: take it out #
If there's something grody, grungy, smelly, and gross in the trash -- that bin is ready to go!
That smell (or spores or liquid or whatever) will leak outside the trash bin, especially when I open the lid. Then I'm scared to open the lid and let the grossness spread. Instead I should just move that trash out of the house and on its way to Recology.
Eyes on the prize: get the trash out of the house #
Our primary responsibility for trash day is "put the big bins out by the curb."
Put a recurring reminder to "put out big bins" on "trash days" -- but nothing else that day. Let's not block on doing the necessary thing (take out the big bins) with nice-to-have things (take out small bins too).
After the big bins are put out, it's okay to keep up the inertia and follow up with small bins. But it's okay if we don't, because ...
Don't wait for trash day #
Time is meaningless and we'll forget when it's trash day. Take out the trash whenever. Take out the trash early and ofen.