I used to think that you had to wait until the rubbish bin was full before emptying it… I have no idea where I got this idea, possibly from when I was kid either being told or hearing my siblings being told to empty the bin because ‘it was full’.
This has had an interesting consequence. I would look at a bin that was nearly full and think ‘it’s not time to empty it yet’. This would then lead to me leaving the bin until it was overflowing as I would forget about it.
Another thing was the feeling that someone else should empty the bin… but that’s a whole other post.
I have realised that you don’t have to wait for the bin to be full before emptying it.
Instead, I now wait until the bin is mostly full before emptying it.
Often, the trigger is the lid doesn’t close very well. It’s a swing top, so doesn’t take much to get in the way of the lid!
Another trigger is a feeling that I ‘should’ be doing something, and emptying the bin is a small job that can be done in a few minutes, often while waiting for the kettle to boil, so I feel productive.
The biggest thing I need to remember is putting in a new bin bag! I work hard at not getting distracted before putting in the new bag.
I don’t know if anyone else needs to hear this, but you don’t have to wait until the rubbish bin is full to overflowing before emptying it.
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