My roommate moved in February 1, 2009, and since then he has taken out the trash twice! Yes, 15 weeks ago he moved in and trash has been taken out once, sometimes twice each week, yet he has only taken the trash out twice!
Keep in mind, I am out of town at least 3-4 days each week, but I somehow take the trash out before I leave for work, and I come home to the trash overflowing and take the trash out again…when I haven’t even been around to contribute to the trash situation.
I have attempted to resolve this issue through communication. It is evident that he simply is paralyzed when it comes to removing the kitchen trash from the can and bringing it outside. Up until April, he would start an auxiliary trash bag (a grocery bag or other shopping bag) when the kitchen trash was full without taking either bag to the trash. I would come home take the trash out (but not his auxiliary bag). He would then come home and put his auxiliary bag of trash into the kitchen trash can!! Can you really believe the audacity? Am I the only one that sees an issue with this? He simply can’t walk anything back to the trash can. It’s not like he has to roll the trash can to the curb or anything. We live in a condo, we simply put the trash in one of the cans in the back. It’s NOT at all inconvenient. Enough is enough. After two weeks of one particular shopping bag sitting on the kitchen floor, I put it in his room after he left for the weekend without taking it the the trash. He was extremely angered by that and left me a note to “NEVER PUT TRASH IN MY ROOM AGAIN!!!!” To that I have to say, it was an effective method, because even though he hasn’t shared in the responsibility of taking the trash out, he has since stopped using extraneous bags for trash…he now just lets trash pile on the counter tops if the trash can is full. In response to his note, I sent him the following e-mail:
Aaron**(name has been changed),
I received the note you left on the counter for me stating to “…not ever put trash in my room again!! Stay out of my room!!”
I ask that you never leave trash in the kitchen in shopping bags!! If the trash can is full, just take out the trash. Don’t start a shopping/grocery bag instead of taking the trash out. Regardless of how busy your life is, there is no excuse for not sharing in the responsibilities of maintaining a cleanly apartment. Leaving for the weekend without taking the trash out is unacceptable. Taking the trash bag out of the can without taking the trash outside and starting a new bag while the tied-off bag remains on the kitchen floor is also unacceptable.
Stop using my laundry detergent! Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking…using my laundry detergent, helping yourself to my sparkling water, and taking my Emergen-C packets out of the closet without ever asking first, all of which you’ve done only when I’m not around shows that if you thought it wasn’t wrong to do, then you would have done it when I was around.
3 responses so far ↓
gloria // June 7, 2009 at 12:46 pm |
Argh.
Having trash problems with my roommates too.
Went home for my birthday on wednesday. Trash was completely full. I come back today (sunday) Two extra FULL bags are around the trash can including the one in can.
When I first moved in, I tried to set up a trash taking out schedule. My vegan cheerleader roommate was evidently insulted by the take out schedule. Took out half of the trash and ripped the schedule out. Twice.
I don’t understand how some people think they are above certain things. If they want to live in pigstys, keep it to their own rooms.
EOE // June 9, 2009 at 12:21 am |
I feel your pain.
I live with four other people (I know – but it’s college), and another girl–M–and I are the only ones that have taken out the trash for the last few weeks. We’ve taken it out probably six or seven times in a row lately. Not quite a problem like yours, but get this:
One of the roommates who won’t take out the trash was anal enough to make an excel spreadsheet “chore chart” we have pinned by the door. The idea is to take turns by checking off your name when you take out the trash, empty the dishwasher, etc. The two who won’t take out the trash (they’re a couple) are the ones who lecture the rest of us about “keeping neat” too.
theroommatechronicles // June 13, 2009 at 7:53 pm |
I feel for both of you!
When my roommate first moved in and I noticed week after week, I was the only one taking the trash out…I started playing this game, “Trash Can Chicken.”…Playing against myself that is, to see how long it would take for him to take the trash out and how long I could hold out before taking the trash out myself. I always lost. Even when I was able to hold out from taking the trash out until I left for work, thinking surely in the next 4 days when I’m gone he has got to take the trash out, since it’s already full…but no, I would come home and there would just be a shopping bag next to the trash can filled with more trash.
We don’t have a small kitchen trash can either, it’s a 13 gallon one…full size, so it’s not like it fills up quick because it’s small.