BIG RUBBISH DAY

Our local town feels it is being squeezed out of influence, now that it is part of a bigger, 6-kommuner local authority. Everything seems to be going to the kommune nestled alongside the motorway or the one which is the local authority's headquarters. In response to this, local citizens have come together in order to promote more projects and activities that they think are being ignored.

Today was the first of those; big rubbish day. 50 or so residents, including me and my family, assembled at the school, collected rubbish bags and those prong-thingies that council workers use, and were sent off to scour the local neighbourhood. My wife and I were given the green areas on the edge of the housing estate. Much to my surprise, I have to say that our town doesn't seem to have much rubbish. We could barely fill half a sack, made up mostly of cigarette packets and cigarette butts.

The most common thing we saw was molehills. I don't know if moles constitute rubbish; though I would certainly have speared one with my prong-thingie, if I had seen one. But I think moles are too clever to be caught by a trick like that, you need something better. Fortunately, I have that too.

Walter Blotscher