Latest news with #FurElise
Daily Tribune
an hour ago
- General
- Daily Tribune
Taiwan's garbage trucks offer classical music and a catch-up
Taiwanese residents holding plastic bags of rubbish stand on a footpath as a yellow garbage truck playing classical music over a loudspeaker pulls up. For decades, the tinkling of Beethoven's 'Fur Elise' or Tekla Badarzewska-Baranowska's 'Maiden's Prayer' has alerted Taiwanese households to take out their garbage. Like clockwork, residents emerge from their apartment buildings carrying bags of pre-sorted rubbish as the musical garbage trucks approach. 'When we hear this music, we know it's time to take out the trash. It's very convenient,' 78-year-old Lee Shu-ning told AFP as she waited outside her tower block in Taipei. Residents toss plastic bags of general refuse into the yellow compaction truck, and tip food waste and recycling into bins carried by another vehicle. For the elderly, taking out the trash has become a social event and many arrive early to sit and talk around the collection points. 'I can chat with some old neighbours and friends, it's nice,' Lee said, before disposing of several bottles and cans. 'It's also a kind of exercise,' she added. But not everyone is a fan. 'I think it's quite inconvenient because it comes at a fixed time every day,' said 31-year-old beautician Dai Yun-wei after dumping her rubbish in the truck. 'Sometimes we're not home or we're busy, so we can't throw away the trash.'
Express Tribune
a day ago
- General
- Express Tribune
Getting rid of rubbish with 'Fur Elise' in Taiwan
Residents hear the music and emerge with their garbage together. Photo: File Taiwanese residents holding plastic bags of rubbish stand on a footpath as a yellow garbage truck playing classical music over a loudspeaker pulls up. As per AFP, for decades, the tinkling of Beethoven's Fur Elise or Tekla Badarzewska-Baranowska's Maiden's Prayer has alerted Taiwanese households to take out their garbage. Like clockwork, residents emerge from their apartment buildings carrying bags of pre-sorted rubbish as the musical garbage trucks approach. "When we hear this music, we know it's time to take out the trash. It's very convenient," 78-year-old Lee Shu-ning told AFP as she waited outside her tower block in Taipei. Residents toss plastic bags of general refuse into the yellow compaction truck, and tip food waste and recycling into bins carried by another vehicle. For the elderly, taking out the trash has become a social event and many arrive early to sit and talk around the collection points. "I can chat with some old neighbours and friends, it's nice," Lee said, before disposing of several bottles and cans. "It's also a kind of exercise," she added. But not everyone is a fan. "I think it's quite inconvenient because it comes at a fixed time every day," said 31-year-old beautician Dai Yun-wei after dumping her rubbish in the truck. "Sometimes we're not home or we're busy, so we can't throw away the trash." 'Save a lot of time' Taiwan's musical garbage trucks have been an almost daily feature of life on the island since the 1960s, Shyu Shyh-shiun of Taipei's Department of Environmental Protection told AFP. Taiwan imported German garbage trucks pre-programmed with Fur Elise, Shyu said, but added it was not clear how the Maiden's Prayer became part of the repertoire. The trucks operate five days a week, usually in the late afternoon and evening. Yang Xiu-ying, 76, has made a living out of helping her neighbours dispose of their garbage. She receives NT$11,200 (USD380) a month from 28 households in her lane to sort their trash, load it onto a trolley and take it to the refuse trucks. "Some people get off work late, some elderly people find it inconvenient, so they take it downstairs and I dump the garbage for them," Yang said, wearing two layers of gloves and long protective sleeves. Others have turned to digital solutions for their rubbish problem. The young founders of Tracle created an app enabling people to book a time for their trash to be taken away. "I think our value is that we save a lot of time for them," co-founder Ben Chen said. "We enhance their life quality." Cleaning up Over the past 30 years, Taiwan has been cleaning up its waste management act. An economic boom had led to an explosion of garbage, with almost no recycling, landfills overflowing and people protesting air and ground pollution. In response, the island ramped up recycling, increased incineration and made people responsible for sorting and dumping their own trash in the trucks instead of leaving it on the ground for collection. Taipei residents are also required to buy government-approved blue plastic bags for their general waste to encourage them to use less and recycle more. "In the beginning, everybody feels... that it's not very convenient," Shyu said. But once people started noticing the cleaner streets, "they feel this is a good policy". The city's recycling rate has surged to nearly 67 percent, from two percent in 2000, and the amount of garbage sent for incineration has fallen by two-thirds, Shyu said. And, he said, smiling, the trucks are "almost" always on time.
NZ Herald
a day ago
- General
- NZ Herald
Taiwan's rubbish trucks offer classical music and a catch-up
For the elderly, taking out the rubbish has become a social event and many arrive early to sit and talk around the collection points. 'I can chat with some old neighbours and friends, it's nice,' Lee said, before disposing of several bottles and cans. 'It's also a kind of exercise,' she added. But not everyone is a fan. 'I think it's quite inconvenient because it comes at a fixed time every day,' said 31-year-old beautician Dai Yun Wei after dumping her rubbish in the truck. 'Sometimes we're not home or we're busy, so we can't throw away the trash.' 'Save a lot of time' Taiwan's musical garbage trucks have been an almost daily feature of life on the island since the 1960s, Shyu Shyh Shiun of Taipei's Department of Environmental Protection told AFP. Taiwan imported German garbage trucks pre-programmed with Fur Elise, Shyu said, but added it was not clear how the Maiden's Prayer became part of the repertoire. The trucks operate five days a week, usually in the late afternoon and evening. Yang Xiu Ying, 76, has made a living out of helping her neighbours dispose of their garbage. She receives NT$11,200 ($380) a month from 28 households in her lane to sort their rubbish, load it onto a trolley and take it to the refuse trucks. 'Some people get off work late, some elderly people find it inconvenient, so they take it downstairs and I dump the garbage for them,' Yang said, wearing two layers of gloves and long protective sleeves. Others have turned to digital solutions for their rubbish problem. The young founders of Tracle created an app enabling people to book a time for their rubbish to be taken away. 'I think our value is that we save a lot of time for them,' co-founder Ben Chen said. 'We enhance their life quality.' Cleaning up Over the past 30 years, Taiwan has been cleaning up its waste management act. An economic boom had led to an explosion of garbage, with almost no recycling, landfills overflowing, and people protesting at air and ground pollution. In response, the island ramped up recycling, increased incineration, and made people responsible for sorting and dumping their own rubbish in the trucks instead of leaving it on the ground for collection. Taipei residents are also required to buy government-approved blue plastic bags for their general waste to encourage them to use less and recycle more. 'In the beginning, everybody feels ... that it's not very convenient,' Shyu said. But once people started noticing the cleaner streets, 'they feel this is a good policy'. The city's recycling rate has surged to nearly 67%, from 2% in 2000, and the amount of garbage sent for incineration has fallen by two-thirds, Shyu said. And, he said, smiling, the trucks are 'almost' always on time. -Agence France-Presse
Toronto Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Taiwan's garbage trucks offer classical music and a catch-up
Published Jul 28, 2025 • 3 minute read Taiwan's musical garbage trucks have been an almost daily feature of life on the island since the 1960s Photo by I-Hwa Cheng / AFP Taipei (AFP) — Taiwanese residents holding plastic bags of rubbish stand on a footpath as a yellow garbage truck playing classical music over a loudspeaker pulls up. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account For decades, the tinkling of Beethoven's 'Fur Elise' or Tekla Badarzewska-Baranowska's 'Maiden's Prayer' has alerted Taiwanese households to take out their garbage. Like clockwork, residents emerge from their apartment buildings carrying bags of pre-sorted rubbish as the musical garbage trucks approach. 'When we hear this music, we know it's time to take out the trash. It's very convenient,' 78-year-old Lee Shu-ning told AFP as she waited outside her tower block in Taipei. Residents toss plastic bags of general refuse into the yellow compaction truck, and tip food waste and recycling into bins carried by another vehicle. For the elderly, taking out the trash has become a social event and many arrive early to sit and talk around the collection points. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I can chat with some old neighbours and friends, it's nice,' Lee said, before disposing of several bottles and cans. 'It's also a kind of exercise,' she added. But not everyone is a fan. 'I think it's quite inconvenient because it comes at a fixed time every day,' said 31-year-old beautician Dai Yun-wei after dumping her rubbish in the truck. 'Sometimes we're not home or we're busy, so we can't throw away the trash.' 'Save a lot of time' Taiwan's musical garbage trucks have been an almost daily feature of life on the island since the 1960s, Shyu Shyh-shiun of Taipei's Department of Environmental Protection told AFP. Taiwan imported German garbage trucks pre-programmed with 'Fur Elise', Shyu said, but added it was not clear how the 'Maiden's Prayer' became part of the repertoire. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The trucks operate five days a week, usually in the late afternoon and evening. Yang Xiu-ying, 76, has made a living out of helping her neighbours dispose of their garbage. She receives NT$11,200 ($380) a month from 28 households in her lane to sort their trash, load it onto a trolley and take it to the refuse trucks. For the elderly, taking out the trash has become a social event and many arrive early to sit and talk around the collection pointsI-Hwa Cheng/AFP Photo by I-Hwa Cheng / AFP 'Some people get off work late, some elderly people find it inconvenient, so they take it downstairs and I dump the garbage for them,' Yang said, wearing two layers of gloves and long protective sleeves. Others have turned to digital solutions for their rubbish problem. The young founders of Tracle created an app enabling people to book a time for their trash to be taken away. 'I think our value is that we save a lot of time for them,' co-founder Ben Chen said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We enhance their life quality.' Cleaning up Over the past 30 years, Taiwan has been cleaning up its waste management act. An economic boom had led to an explosion of garbage, with almost no recycling, landfills overflowing and people protesting air and ground pollution. In response, the island ramped up recycling, increased incineration and made people responsible for sorting and dumping their own trash in the trucks instead of leaving it on the ground for collection. Taipei residents are also required to buy government-approved blue plastic bags for their general waste to encourage them to use less and recycle more. (I-Hwa Cheng/AFP) Photo by I-Hwa Cheng / AFP Taipei residents are also required to buy government-approved blue plastic bags for their general waste to encourage them to use less and recycle more. 'In the beginning, everybody feels… that it's not very convenient,' Shyu said. But once people started noticing the cleaner streets, 'they feel this is a good policy'. The city's recycling rate has surged to nearly 67 percent, from two percent in 2000, and the amount of garbage sent for incineration has fallen by two-thirds, Shyu said. And, he said, smiling, the trucks are 'almost' always on time. Canada Editorial Cartoons Sunshine Girls Relationships Editorials
Observer
a day ago
- General
- Observer
Taiwan's garbage trucks offer classical music and a catch-up
Taipei - Taiwanese residents holding plastic bags of rubbish stand on a footpath as a yellow garbage truck playing classical music over a loudspeaker pulls up. For decades, the tinkling of Beethoven's "Fur Elise" or Tekla Badarzewska-Baranowska's "Maiden's Prayer" has alerted Taiwanese households to take out their garbage. Like clockwork, residents emerge from their apartment buildings carrying bags of pre-sorted rubbish as the musical garbage trucks approach. "When we hear this music, we know it's time to take out the trash. It's very convenient," 78-year-old Lee Shu-ning told AFP as she waited outside her tower block in Taipei. Residents toss plastic bags of general refuse into the yellow compaction truck, and tip food waste and recycling into bins carried by another vehicle. For the elderly, taking out the trash has become a social event, and many arrive early to sit and talk around the collection points. "I can chat with some old neighbours and friends, it's nice," Lee said, before disposing of several bottles and cans. "It's also a kind of exercise," she added. But not everyone is a fan. "I think it's quite inconvenient because it comes at a fixed time every day," said 31-year-old beautician Dai Yun-wei after dumping her rubbish in the truck. "Sometimes we're not home or we're busy, so we can't throw away the trash." - 'Save a lot of time' - Taiwan's musical garbage trucks have been an almost daily feature of life on the island since the 1960s, Shyu Shyh-shiun of Taipei's Department of Environmental Protection told AFP. Taiwan imported German garbage trucks pre-programmed with "Fur Elise", Shyu said, but added it was not clear how the "Maiden's Prayer" became part of the repertoire. The trucks operate five days a week, usually in the late afternoon and evening. Yang Xiu-ying, 76, has made a living out of helping her neighbours dispose of their garbage. She receives NT$11,200 ($380) a month from 28 households in her lane to sort their trash, load it onto a trolley, and take it to the refuse trucks. "Some people get off work late, some elderly people find it inconvenient, so they take it downstairs and I dump the garbage for them," Yang said, wearing two layers of gloves and long protective sleeves. Others have turned to digital solutions for their rubbish problem. The young founders of Tracle created an app enabling people to book a time for their trash to be taken away. "I think our value is that we save a lot of time for them," co-founder Ben Chen said. "We enhance their life quality." - Cleaning up - Over the past 30 years, Taiwan has been cleaning up its waste management act. An economic boom had led to an explosion of garbage, with almost no recycling, landfills overflowing, and people protesting air and ground pollution. In response, the island ramped up recycling, increased incineration, and made people responsible for sorting and dumping their trash in the trucks instead of leaving it on the ground for collection. Taipei residents are also required to buy government-approved blue plastic bags for their general waste to encourage them to use less and recycle more. "In the beginning, everybody feels... that it's not very convenient," Shyu said. But once people started noticing the cleaner streets, "they feel this is a good policy". The city's recycling rate has surged to nearly 67 percent, from two percent in 2000, and the amount of garbage sent for incineration has fallen by two-thirds, Shyu said. And, he said, smiling, the trucks are "almost" always on time.
