It’s a crazy thing. Living in a suburb of a large city and not really knowing your neighbors. This is a common thing, and in some cases people actually seek out areas where they can be unknown. But, on garbage day, everyone has a chance to bump into a neighbor and say hello.
If you’ve got a bad back you shouldn’t be taking out the garbage. Something as mundane as this becomes difficult to do, and you miss out on all the neighborly gossip.