How do I know my life has gone wrong? Because I spend all my time at the tip | Zoe Williams

You understand lots of issues have gone fallacious for you when the man on the municipal dump is aware of your title. It principally means you’re bereaved or getting divorced – as a result of if you happen to’re only a common, organised one who goes to the dump quite a bit, you’re out and in of there like a ghost.So anyway, I wouldn’t name it a friendship, between me and the man within the recyclable gadgets aisle; it’s extra of a Tom and Jerry factor. I attempt to go away stuff the place it would discover a new dwelling, and he tries to get me to place it in landfill. I say, “However sir, it’s a model new commode, there are individuals who’d chunk your hand off for considered one of these,” and he says, “Give it again to the NHS,” and I say, “Do you suppose I haven’t tried that?”. And he shakes his head, and I put it in landfill, however then wait till his again is turned and run again with three Zimmer frames.We not often conflict, however in all probability our longest discussions have been about tech. The units in query are all 15 years outdated and but nearly as good as new, as a result of anyone (my late mom) engaged with it lengthy sufficient to throw away its field and all related paperwork, however by no means found out use it.“You’ve obtained children, proper?” I begin, like a balloon salesman. “Children love out of date Apple screens. They name them ‘classic’. They may dismantle this one and put it again collectively – that’s how Invoice Gates began.”“I don’t take away issues from the positioning,” he replies, trying wearily on the signal that claims: Don’t take away issues from the positioning.“Who’s in cost right here? You or the signal?”“I wrote the signal!”Different folks come previous with far much less helpful or fascinating gadgets: workplace chairs, a full set of novelty mugs for a household of giants, distressed wicker. You’re not likely imagined to touch upon different folks’s garbage – I do know these guidelines of what counts as recyclable as a result of I’m right here on a regular basis – so I make do with a “Critically?” expression, and he provides me a glance which I feel says, “Sure, critically. The world will all the time want mugs.”Whereas he is aware of my title, I don’t know his. He might have handed up some wonderful alternatives, however he’s not daft. Zoe Williams is a Guardian columnist Do you’ve gotten an opinion on the problems raised on this article? If you need to submit a response of as much as 300 phrases by electronic mail to be thought-about for publication in our letters part, please click on right here.