The Atlanta Office of Solid Waste Services visits our home every Friday. Last month I placed the roll carts at the curb early in the morning. I returned later to find one standing on the sidewalk and the other flung across the yard.

I shared the photo on Facebook with the caption, “I’m not sure what happened here this morning.”  The post elicited various theories, including:

• They couldn’t get along
• Those darn squirrels
• My money is on some driver texting
• Clearly the recycling bin was taking out the trash
• There was a spider
• They had a fight and the green one lost
• Black bear
• You evidently have a rogue trash can there
• Clearly a fight to the finish
• Battle of the Bins
• Rock‘em, Sock‘em Trash Cans
• Anger issues
• Thunderdome: Two cans enter, one can leaves

Although I like the notion of sentient trash cans or scheming squirrels, the real answer is obvious: alien abduction by Little Green Men. They mistook the olive-colored trash can as one of their own.

Call Mulder and Scully. The truth is out there. I believe.