I would prefer not to, said the garbage chute

November 6, 2017 1:43 AM

A man named Hlynur Hallgrímsson tried to throw a garbage bag down the garbage chute in his apartment building while a storm passed through Reykjavík last night.
posted by Kattullus (22 comments total)

The wind can really be fierce in Iceland.
posted by doctornemo at 2:00 AM on November 6, 2017 [1 favorite]

Wind, or did SOMEONE forget to pay the gravity bill?
posted by Nancy_LockIsLit_Palmer at 3:03 AM on November 6, 2017 [48 favorites]

Wouldn't closing the chute door solve the problem? It would be less fun that way I guess.
posted by ardgedee at 3:20 AM on November 6, 2017 [2 favorites]

LOL hee hee hee
posted by infini at 3:34 AM on November 6, 2017 [2 favorites]

Pneumatic tubes, in this land they have pneumatic tubes for their very garbage bags.

I was wondering about closing the door, but I think that might result in up, not down?
Because the video doesn't look like the full air flow is coming out the porthole, so there's a draft running further up. The porthole seems to be spilling a bit of the up-flowing air so the bag hangs at that level. So closing it might air-cannon the garbage up until it probably gets pinned against a grate.

Oh, if that's true, then comes the fun: opening that door later might drop a garbage bomb as it comes unpinned from the grate. Even better, it might then hit the stronger upward flow and 'bounce', oscillating back and forth past the opening.
posted by away for regrooving at 3:48 AM on November 6, 2017 [2 favorites]

So closing it might air-cannon the garbage up until it probably gets pinned against a grate.

'grate?' No, no grate, just garbage bags cannoning out of the chutes to fly away into the arctic night.
posted by From Bklyn at 3:56 AM on November 6, 2017 [19 favorites]

....we all float down here....
posted by PenDevil at 3:57 AM on November 6, 2017 [5 favorites]

'grate?' No, no grate, just garbage bags cannoning out of the chutes to fly away into the arctic night.

David Foster Wallace would be proud.
posted by Literaryhero at 4:01 AM on November 6, 2017 [11 favorites]

Icelandic names make everything sound (literally) epic.
posted by Faint of Butt at 4:12 AM on November 6, 2017 [4 favorites]

Katullus, could we write a saga on this, to declaim the next time we're quaffing beer in a blizzard or some such?
posted by infini at 4:55 AM on November 6, 2017 [2 favorites]

A deeply profound illustration of how we never really get rid of the planet's garbage.
posted by JanetLand at 5:33 AM on November 6, 2017 [11 favorites]

Can confirm, as the wind caused our flight cancellation yesterday. We were told that at 90+ MPH it was unsafe for the airport to operate, and it was sleeting/snowing everywhere in the populated areas as well.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 7:32 AM on November 6, 2017

90mph winds means it's not safe to go outside. Add sleet - yikes.
posted by Bee'sWing at 7:40 AM on November 6, 2017

Yes, hurricane force winds apparently!
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 7:50 AM on November 6, 2017 [1 favorite]

(Doot doo de doo-doot!)
Manometer!
(Doot doot de doot!)
Manometer!
posted by Westringia F. at 8:02 AM on November 6, 2017 [10 favorites]

When I left the gym yesterday, one of the goals from the soccer field across the street was slowly sliding towards the stands. It was hard weather to bike in, but not the worst I've experienced. (I think the gusts were not above 60mph while I was out.) There was also thunder and lightning, which is rare enough here that it was covered by all the news services.
posted by Nothing at 9:04 AM on November 6, 2017 [5 favorites]

Wait, did he end up just leaving the bag in the chute? Because if it kept hovering at the same height just lurking there for the me to discover when throwing out my own trash I'd probably exit and re-enter the room to make sure it loads properly this time
posted by scruffy-looking nerfherder at 9:14 AM on November 6, 2017 [7 favorites]

Wow, Garry's Mod is looking good.
posted by groda at 10:13 AM on November 6, 2017 [3 favorites]

Does Not Accept Refuse. Isn't that redundant?
posted by hal9k at 10:40 AM on November 6, 2017 [5 favorites]

I'd expect that closing the door would send it up the tube.
posted by Hicksu at 11:55 AM on November 6, 2017

Well, whether it went up or down, it'd at least get out of the way...
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:09 PM on November 6, 2017

... and he laughs like Muttley
posted by scruss at 7:59 PM on November 6, 2017 [1 favorite]