The Latest Economic Indicator Might Be that Pile of Garbage at the Curb

Tight Economy Creates Less Trash

Trash is Kevin Kiernan's business, and he has a theory about why there has been a recent decline in the amount being collected.
It's the economy, says Kiernan, director of the King County Division of Solid Waste in the state of Washington.
Waste tonnage declines of 3% to 12% have been reported over time frames ranging from the past several months to the past year by solid waste managers across the USA.
"Garbage typically hasn't been called an economic indicator, but we firmly believe it is," Kiernan said.
Trash tonnage in King County dropped by 7% in the fourth quarter of 2007, "and continues to stay about 7% behind," he said.
Bucknell University economist Thomas Kinnaman, editor of The Economics of Residential Solid Waste Management, agrees.
"Solid waste production goes up and down with the economy," he said.
Kinnaman added that much of the decline is a result of the slowdown in the housing market.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=5682255&page=1

Who knew??:shrug:

I guess it's untrashed in this case!