Managing Trash

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From: Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr near Monterey, California

Thinking ahead about garbage, certainly there are some things that can be purchased in advance that will help us in dealing with this problem.

Also, buy three metal and a couple new wheely garbage cans. Use them now, to dispose of everything that won't help you survive. Don't wait until December to do this, since the cans may not be available. In addition, you know you have more than just a few weeks of extra trash to put out. Later, these cans can be used to store your "bugout bags" or fill them with bubble wrap or packing peanuts and store your survival electronics there, to protect them from EMP. In after times, the three metal cans can be used as a cheap humanure composting system.

A major problem with trash, besides that it tends to attract six legged and four legged vermin is that it will alert two legged vermin to your preparedness. Reject packaging that is not consumable or able to be burned safely (outside).

Remove and discard outer packaging boxes today, while those boxes can still be responsibly recycled. Repack things such as soaps, detergents and cleansers into small canning jars and discard the original packaging. Buy extra canning flats for later reuse of the canning jars.

Some items, such as tooth paste, and sun screen are not convenient to repackage. For such items, you might save the last small amount for barter, and thus unload the package with the product.

Start saving grocery bags, paper and plastic. These may be needed later for human waste and for trash.

Purchase plenty of garbage bags. If you have a trash compactor, purchase that style instead, even though you may not later have use of the equipment itself. At least you'll have a use for the bags if Y2K is a dud. I'm packing all my canned goods in such a bag inside a regular grocery sack and dropping in a film canister filled with dessicant, to help keep the cans from rusting. I also use the trash compactor bags to line the large boxes where I'm keeping jars of food. (This takes two bags per box).

I'm figuring that if I include enough garbage bags to store all my consumables pre-use, that should be more than enough to store the "byproducts." I toss in an extra folded compactor bag in each box for good measure (since I'm not bagging the dry goods that are going into plastic 5-gal buckets due to the possible insecticide built into the bags). If I end up with more garbage bags than I need, I can barter them away, or just give them away to neighbors to help in neighborhood beautification.

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage), September 10, 1999

Answers

I'll be using the metal cans to store chicken food, dog kibble, and cat food. They'll keep even determined rats out...

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), September 10, 1999.

For handling organic waste, I suggest considering red worms. They will consume their own weight daily, and produce magnificent potting soil when finished. They will also make excellent live bait for bluegills, if you're so inclined. They can't survive in ordinary topsoil, but thrive in manure and garbage, as long as it's not too hot.

This won't be for everybody, but might be a workable idea for some. Excess worms could be sold or bartered for bait. Maybe we will have more time to fish next year.

keepin' on,

gene

-- gene (ekbaker@essex1.com), September 11, 1999.


Burn, bury or compost....

-- tc (trashcan-man@webtv.net), September 11, 1999.

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