The Blue Can Dilemma

When I arrived home this afternoon I immediately noticed that my big blue recycling can was missing. When I placed it at the curb this morning the air was calm and the can was full. Later today, when the winds gods let go their wrath, presumably the can was empty.

I rather doubt that anyone would steal our blue can. We’re not the first house on the street with a blue can sitting in front.  Wind was the obvious culprit.

A quick look two doors down from me revealed two blue cans at the end of a three house flag lot driveway. There were no other blue cans within the immediate range. I figured it could be one of those so I went over to take a look.

How could I know if one of these identical blue cans was mine?

I then noticed that the blue cans all have bar codes. I pulled out my Droid X and scanned the barcode on one of the cans. I got nothing. That information is apparently unavailable to us mere mortals.

I looked up the three house flag lot driveway and saw one another blue can in front of a house. These cans could belong to one or both of the remaining houses, or not. I made a decision. I took the can with the bad wheel.

 The thing is I know that the Department of Public Works knows which can was delivered to my house. I recall reading that each of the blue recycling cans has an RFID chip for some odd reason. I watched when it was first delivered. After the guy took it off the trailer he scanned the bar code before putting it in our driveway. DPW knows whether either of these cans was mine but they were nowhere around this afternoon so I took action on my own. As I hauled it back it occurred to me that I was doing so at risk of breaking some blue can covenant. If I was to call and try and get it replaced because of the bad wheel and it is determined that I have somebody else’s can, I could be in some real blue can doo doo.

I think I’ll just live with the bad wheel for now.