recycling and trash disposal

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I have cancelled trash pickup! It has always been expensive here in the mountains. Then they raised prices, then they instituted a policy of a $20.00 late fee if the bill isn't paid withing 10 days ( I earn my money a little at a time thru out the month, I don't always have it at the correct time), the bill is due 4 months in advance, and now they have added a fuel surcharge! My sons are appalled. They feel that we are truly poor. They didn't have any idea on how to pay a $75.00 trash bill however.

This has really made all of us think before we purchase anything. "What will we do with all that extra packaging?" I have always preached recyling and not to buy anything that is overpackaged however, we you really think on how to dispose of it and the option of throwing it into the trash can is not available, the point really sinks in.

I'm sure some of you do not have trash pickup. What do you do with the trash? I burn anything I can and the ashes go on the garden before plowing in the fall. Then I feed to the animals or compost all that I can. Cans find a new life with candlemaking or for seed starting in the greenhouse. Plastics are the big problem. It is too far to make regular trips to the nearest recyler on a regular basis. I don't like to keep trash around because despite 3 wonderful cats I still have mice. Any ideas? I now have time to can my fruits and vegetabels again and that will eliminate too many cans.

Let me hear what the rest of you are doing.

-- Cheryl Cox (bramblecottage@hotmail.com), August 21, 2000

Answers

I know this isn't exactly what you were asking about but we cancelled our trash pickup about five years ago and we bring our own trash to the local dump/landfill. There is no charge for anyone who lives within the county so we just have a sticker on our van and take things there ourselves. We go about once a month or greater but we don't make a lot of trash because we only cook what we want to eat and no extra, and pealings and that kind of stuff goes on the compost pile so we don't have "garbage". That just leaves us with trash which can stay around in the garage without causing any odor or varmint problems until we have enough to make the trip worthwhile. Occasionally, if I happen to have some kind of garbage that will rot and cause a smell, I bag it up, label it and keep it in the freezer until we are ready to go to the dump. I will also wait until I am ready to go to the dump to clean out any old food from the freezer that I might not have used. It just takes a little more planning but you can avoid smelly trash if you think about it ahead of time. Like anything, it just takes a little getting used to.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), August 21, 2000.

We haven't had garbage pickup for years. I look at that cost kind of like cable teevee...totally unnecessary! Anyway, most everything organic goes to the chickens, who either eat it and recycle it or scratch it into the soil (and thus recycle it). We burn our "burnable" garbage, and recycle all else that we can, including old nails that we can't use again (we straighten them and reuse if possible) etc.

Plastic is a problem. It's hard to avoid buying some things, so we do end up with some. So far, we have been accumulating it until the time comes when it will be recycle-able. Pressure treated wood scrap is another problem. Any ideas on that one?

We try to invent new uses for some things we have to get rid of. Old magazines go to the library. Old clothes and household things go to charities. We do go to the dump a few times a year. Often that is because we are tearing down a building or something and end up with other people's trash.

Making decisions at buying time can help as much as anything else, too. Good luck!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), August 21, 2000.


We haven't had trash pickup since we moved here .Between dogs,cats,cows,sheep,goats,and pigs no food anything is ever thrown out .Plastic and tin can be washed out and stored in plastic bags inside a metal garbage can ,no smell no mice .There should be a recycling center somewhere around .

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), August 21, 2000.

In another post someone suggested putting plastic through a yard shreader to reduce the volume. Then perhaps storage. Sooner or later you will need to go into some place which has a recycling center. On alum. products, periodically I see someone on the side of the road doing pickup. Sometimes they are working off a community service sentence, sometimes making pocket money. I offer those I have bagged up.

-- Ken S. in TN (scharabo@aol.com), August 21, 2000.

like those that have posted before me, I have no trash pick up for all the reasons you all have posted and 1 more..cause they wanna make it manditory! ha!

I look at everything I purchase asking myself if I can get rid of the packaging. Here is what I do when I HAVE to have something and it is sealed in something I can't recycle easily....open it up while waiting in line and leave the package with the cashier. Ask them to please throw it in their trash can. A few have looked at me funny, then I explain I don't have trash pick up. So far everyone has taken it. Let the stores get rid of the packaging.

I was in a message group talking about worms and the 3 "R's", Reduce, Reuse and Recycle and was reminded there was a 4th R....Rethink!

Most of the time the packaging costs more then the item being purchased!

-- Ima Gardener (ima@gardener.com), August 22, 2000.



Ima; So obvious I cant believe I never thought of it leave the packaging at the store brilliant I have a question would it be terrable to leave small amounts of garbage in the can at the gas station or other places of business. Often when I get gas I have the kids clean out the junk they have on the floor around them to put into the garbage would it be terrable to add a couple of extra things from home. I just dont know if I could morally do this. In our area if you have trash pickup its only 1 dollar for an extra can our neighbors let us put our occasional can with theirs and we just give them the dollar.

-- ronda (thejohnsons_doty@hotmail.com), August 22, 2000.

Constantly work at precycling--not buying new stuff in the first place. Truly not all, but A LOT of plastic can be avoided by checking for options such as: reconstituting dry milk instead of store-bought milk jugs, laundry soap--powder in boxes instead of liquid in bottles, fabric softeners are totally unnecessary--use the breeze, make your own household cleaners with baking soda, borax and washing soda that comes in paper boxes, make your own handy-wipes or use rags instead of buying them in plastic, use stick margarine instead of soft spread, buy frozen concentrate instead of juices in plastic, buy juices in cans instead of plastic, make your own ketchup with tomato paste that comes in a can, make mustard from dry mustard powder, the list can go on and on if you give it some thought. Make a game of it and the family can some fun! Take your own bags to the store to reuse and ignore the baggers and clerks remarks. Leave the excess packaging at the store, etc. Now that you got me started I can't stop!

-- Sandy (smd2@netzero.net), August 23, 2000.

Buy as little plastic as possible. Rinse out what you do get, so it won't smell, and put it into rinsed cans, packing it in there tightly (you can use a thick stick or something similar) Get it as compact as you can, it is surprising how much can fit in there! Save the cans for when you go to town and throw them away.With big plastic things, such as vinegar jugs, cut the the bottom off at an angle, and use it for a feed scoop, or can use it to scoop up flour, etc. Or cut the top off, and cram it full of plastic trash.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@transport.com), August 24, 2000.

As for those huge plastic containers (bleach, detergent, vinegar, oil) if you live near water, the local fisherman will use them for net markers. Honey came home with a dozen blue crabs last Saturday, just for dropping the containers off to the boys, yum!

-- Kathy (catfish@bestweb.net), August 27, 2000.

Check with your local recycler before you shread any plastic. Some recyclers will not take plastic that cant be identifed. I know our local recycler will only take plastic bottles and tubes intact. No plastic trays, plastic liners,etc.

We have trash pickup and are slowly training ourself to reduce out garbage output. Wife is getty pretty good with things for the compost. Were pretty good with recycling plastic, aluminum, paper and cardboard although could be better at reducing them in the first place.

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), August 27, 2000.



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