A couple of years ago, there was a young guy selling a strange metal contraption which was supposed to compress the rubbish in your wheelie bin so that you could fit in ... well ... more rubbish, I suppose.
Anne Dawson gave us the usual 10 seconds of spiel, which went 'Landfill-Environment-Council Tax-Green Issues-Throwaway Society-Problem-Problem-Ta Dahhhh!!!'
And up stepped The Young Guy to demonstrate the Wheelie Bin Compressor Thingy.
First of all, the empty wheelie bin he'd been given to demonstrate on was about as tall as he was.
After a couple of false starts and some clanking about, he managed to show how the Compressor Thingy [which looked like an upside down Zimmer frame] would attach to the bin edge and push the rubbish down inside.
Great.
Anne Dawson gestured to a large pile of cardboard boxes, cellophane, and empty plastic laundry bags. The Young Guy snatched up armfuls, and seconds later, the wheelie bin was overflowing.
'Our bin men wouldn't take a bin that full,' Anne Dawson said, in mournful tones.
God, the pathos...
Anyway, The Young Guy wrestled with the Compressor Thingy again, finally got it into position, and after a shove worthy of Atlas, the rubbish obligingly whooshed out all the trapped air and disappeared down into the bin.
He disentangled the metal contraption, and turned to put it down.
He turned back just in time to see the rubbish reinflate itself and mushroom back up at record speed.
I swear more rubbish came out of the bin than went in to begin with.
Oddly, this item was never seen on air ever again ...