Here in our part of Canada, with the days of the local town dump long gone, we have to put our garbage by the curb - even out here in the country. And what do we do with old large appliances, that are no longer of use? You have two choices; you can take them to the county landfill (a 45-minute drive from here) and pay for disposal, or wait until one of 2 or 3 special days of the year when the BIG truck comes around and picks up all the large appliances.
It's become something of spring tradition here in our region. Every year, usually around mid May, people begin sifting through the junk in their attics, basements, or garages and start piling it up by the curb. Sofas, TV sets, refrigerators, microwave ovens, bathroom fixtures, and even the odd kitchen sink become a common sight beside many driveways. There are many scavengers, myself included, who travel around picking up the goodies - and as people become more and more wasteful, the pickings get better and better. But once the piles are picked over, and only the true trash remains, it's time for the garbage truck to come along and do its job.
The truck announces its presence with its big, loud, engine as it slowly rumbles along the street. It pulls over beside each pile of junk, and a crew of two or three workers starts starts pitching the junk into the beast's gaping metal jaws. Once enough things have been piled in, one worker pulls a handle on the side, and the real magic begins. The engine revs up, and the huge metal jaw of the trash compacter begins to noisily digest the many objects of plastic, metal, glass, and wood. Glass shatters, wood splinters, metal creaks and groans, TV picture tubes burst with a loud "thump"... it's as much a feast for the ears as it is for the eyes. The compacter continues squeezing, chewing, and crushing until all that remains of the furniture, appliances, and so forth is a compact pile of jagged mulch. Once the pile of junk has been loaded, the truck slowly makes its way to the next pile.
Some people probably wouldn't see anything interesting to this. But some people, like me, find it quite interesting to watch breakable stuff get crushed into tiny bits by a big truck. In fact, I enjoy it so much, that for the past five years I've actually stood at the curb and videotaped the trash truck in action. I now have enough video shot, and enough interest in the footage, that I have now put it all together on DVD for your - ahem - viewing pleasure.
But why take video of this at all? What's so special about my pile of trash? Well, for years, I've run a small electronics repair shop out of my house. As the market gets worse every year, and I get more and more overstocked with used appliances, I find myself having to throw out more and more. That means that over the past years, my junk piles have continued to grow larger and larger, becoming more of a local spectacle each year. My spring 2006 pile was a record; it contained about 49 TV sets, 61 VCR's, 26 garbage bags of small electronic stuff (circuit boards etc), and more old appliances than I could even keep track of. The finished pile was over 30 feet long and up to 4 feet deep and high - if not compacted, it could easily have filled two large dump trucks. The pile even became something of a local tourist attraction; some passersby actually got out and had their pictures taken beside the massive pile.
This very special DVD contains almost a full hour of the trash-crushing action you're sure to enjoy. It features footage from the six trash pickups from 2001 to 2006, all captured in DVD-quality video with CD-quality sound, and indexed in two neat-looking menus. Also included is a short bonus clip, showing one massive junkpile being knocked down so it could be safely hauled to the curb. Most footage is uncut, meaning you'll see and hear each and every item being thrown into the truck.
As this is compiled from amateur video, there are a few shaky scenes, but overall the footage is very close to professional quality. I highly recommend you hook up a good sound system with subwoofer to watch this video - you will not be disappointed.
The DVD is REGION-FREE and playable anywhere in the world.
So what are you waiting for? Buy Saga of the Junkpile today and see what it's all about.
Don't have a DVD Player? VHS copies can be made upon request, just click the link at the bottom to contact me and request one. Price is $15 (shipping included). Note: VHS tapes will be recorded in NTSC format, make sure your player is compatible.
(Excerpts from the Actual DVD)
PICKUP 2007
SHIPPING INCLUDED
Quantity pricing: INQUIRE
Shipping Time:
Canada 3 to 10 Days
US & International 1 to 3 weeks
