In Age of Virus Lockdown, Garbage Day Gets Interesting

Aussie woman's Facebook page encouraging people to dress up while taking out trash is a hit
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 13, 2020 9:10 AM CDT

Never say Australians don't know how to have a good time—even while self-quarantining and taking out the trash. Per CNN, a Queensland kindergarten teacher started a Facebook page two weeks ago documenting herself and her friends dressing up in wild outfits while dragging their garbage cans to the curb, and while it began as a small Aussie effort, the page is now seeing entries from as far away as Europe and the United States. "A friend put a post up on her Facebook page saying that she was excited it was garbage night and she gets to go out," 47-year-old Danielle Askew tells AFP on how she was first inspired to start the Bin Isolation Outing page, which now has more than 720,000 members. She dared her friend to get dressed up as she took the trash out, and Askew also donned a costume: a blue gown and a crown, like Elsa in Frozen, per ABC Australia.

"I must admit I did have anxiety, but I got through it and I waved to people," Askew says. Hence the birth of her page, where the costumes are creative and hilarious, ranging from people modeling swimsuits and wedding dresses to Voldemort get-ups and superhero outfits. An Edith Cowan University psychology instructor tells ABC that because we're "creatures of habit," having our routines disrupted can be disorienting, and that efforts like Askew's allow us to blow off steam: "Having a laugh about things, and the absurdity of the situation, can help counteract some of those other negative feelings." Demi Mutch (aka Voldemort) agrees. "It's somewhere where you can go and forget about all this virus stuff," she tells CNN, saying she thinks Askew is a "genius" and that her page is "the best thing in my day." The Guardian compiles its favorite costumes here. (More coronavirus stories.)

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