Regular readers know I pick up litter daily.
Yesterday, when dropping litter into a garbage can, I noticed this wood box in the trash. It looked new and didn’t look like what I usually see in trash cans, which is normally tons of doof wrapping.
I got it out. It was well made. It felt empty. What could it be?
I turned it over. The back wasn’t attached, but could slide open. On the back was a sticker saying:
N.Y.C. Funeral and Cremation Services, Inc.
We certify these to be the remains of:
[someone’s name]
9/29/2026
I can’t make stuff like this box up.
Since it felt empty, I figured it was, and therefore didn’t contain anyone’s remains. It turned out it wasn’t empty but contained a paper bag, which was empty.
I don’t know what to make of such a finding except that it reinforces how much material stuff we believe we value but that ends up in the landfill, as if computers weren’t enough, along with TVs, cell phones, doof and its wrapping, most things bought online, and the packaging for everything shipped—oh yeah, and cars.
I looked up the name and found a 74 year old person with that name living in New York City or Jersey City. Might he have just died? Did a family member receive the remains and lost the box? I presume a relative bought an urn, but the remnants in the urn, and threw out the box from the crematorium. Maybe the deceased wanted his ashes scattered in Washington Square Park and, once they were scattered, the box was no longer needed.
I’d ask what better way to honor someone than to toss the box their remains came in into a city trash can, but I have no idea the back story. A million stories could explain how it happened with honor, respect, or whatever.
Well, no problem, we have infinite supplies of resources and infinite space to put waste in.