Correlation Between Smaller Homes and Amount of Trash

Today is big garbage day in our area of Oakville; four Tuesday's ago as well. That means last night was what I'll call "garbage night". During our walks around our area of Oakville, M and I have noticed that home size is negatively correlated with the amount of trash put out on garbage day. In other words, smaller homes put out more trash. We've noticed that this correlation also extends to regular bagged garbage throughout the year, but it's especially evident on big garbage days.

I hesitate to say "poorer homes" because nobody in our area of Oakville can be truly poor given the housing prices here. However, there is definitely a relationship evident. The characters that drive the streets in pickup trucks looking for treasures on garbage night generally seem to know this as well and usually stick to the streets with row homes.

Why is this?

We've puzzled this over and came up with three hypotheses:

1. Smaller homes simply have less space in which to store stuff, so whereas a family in a larger home would move unneeded stuff to their basement, a family in a smaller home is forced to throw it away.

2. Smaller homes are correlated negatively with intelligent owners. In other words, dumb people can only afford smaller homes, buy more stuff, then realize they don't need it or don't have space for it and throw it away. Or they simply don't think of or are not motivated enough to donate or sell their unneeded items.

3. Low-quality stuff that doesn't last is correlated positively with dumb owners. In other words, dumb people who own smaller homes (assuming 2 is correct) also buy cheap crap without care that it won't last as long and is quickly filling our landfills.

Agree? Disagree? Any other ideas??

I should specify that A LOT of what is being thrown out is not "garbage", it's in perfectly good shape. I'm referring to furniture, carpets, CDs, tapes, records, pots, fish tanks, kids toys, computer monitors, televisions, etc, all in perfectly working order. They were simply replaced by something newer (I'm assuming).

In the meantime, yesterday we picked up a gorgeous pot by Paul Vorstermans, a Creemore, Ontario stoneware artist. It's not a copy - it's signed - and would have been crushed by a garbage truck about 10 hours later had we not picked it up. That would have been a shame.