The Case of the Missing Trash Bin

I'm on the road a lot and as a consequence, I often utilize fast food drive-thru's. My number one pet peeve with any drive-thru is the lack of a trash receptacle accessible from the drive-thru lane, preferable at the end.

I always have a drive in the car, usually one of those big 32 oz. cups (I like my drinks ice cold and you just can't do that with a can). Of course, when I go through a drive-thru, I've got a nearly empty cup in the cup holder that should be empty to hold the new drink I am about to receive and need to dispose of it.

There in lies the problem. With no trash receptacle, what am I to do with this old cup that is not quite completely empty? Try to ask the person at the window to dispose of it and they almost always claim they are not allowed to dispose of it. Can anyone answer why? What's the big deal with taking my nearly empty cup and disposing of it?

Unfortunately, due to my very short fuse on such simple matters, I tend to let my saggy pants mentality show and I simply toss the cup into the parking lot. I look at it is my own way of informing the restaurant that they need to invest in a trash bin or two for the outside.

For the record, Wendy's is the worst offender while McDonald's usually has a bin, even if it looks like it hasn't been emptied for two days.