When the System Shows Itself

There was a story in the Wall Street Journal about trash pickup in New Orleans’ French Quarter. A private company, IV Waste, had been brought in temporarily. They were fast, consistent, and cleaner than what people were used to. Wall Street Journal article

And boy, did the residents notice.

Now, some of them are putting up “Keep IV Waste” signs in their windows and planter beds, even waving them around. This isn’t because trash service is exciting (unless you are a small child and enjoy greeting your local waste services workers every week), but because it’s working. And they don’t want to go back. Suddenly, the smell of “vomit and regret” has been replaced with lemon freshness.

Local officials are pushing to return to the original waste management company, the one that had let the basics slide for years. People remember how it was: missed pickups, overflowing bins, and no real accountability. Now that they’ve had a glimpse of something better, they’re reluctant to pretend the old way was good enough.

It reminded me of something smaller but similar. A few years ago, I had to set up a new contract at work for portable restrooms. The old vendor’s agreement had expired, and I was tasked with finding a replacement. I thought it would be easy. It wasn’t.

It turns out it’s difficult to find a company that does that kind of work with reliability and professionalism. No excuses, no need for constant reminders. When I finally found one, I was almost surprised at how smoothly everything became. I kept using them for neighborhood events while serving on my HOA board simply because they made things easier.

The same thing happened when I needed on-site document shredding. Most companies were flaky or overpriced (or both—a double whammy!). When I found one that handled it with no drama and clear communication, I stuck with them. Because once something just… works, you don’t want to go back to wasting energy on what doesn’t.

That’s what stuck with me about the trash story.

We don’t always realize how much energy we spend tolerating broken systems until something better comes along. And once we see it—once we know it’s possible—we don’t want to go back.

We live in structures we didn’t build. Some are outdated. Some are inefficient. But they’ve been around so long that we think that’s just how things work. We stop expecting better.

Until someone shows up and proves otherwise.

And then it’s hard to ignore.