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I’ve got the kitchen trash down to a manageable science (garbage disposal notwithstanding). But I’m starting to come across other trash I didn’t think much about until it crept up on me.
Garden weeds: It’s summer here in the Northeast. And as I fight to de-weed my vegetable garden, I have to stop myself from routinely dropping them in a trash barrel. What can I do with them? I can’t burn in my neighborhood. And I don’t want them sitting around to replant themselves. Maybe it’s time for me to begin a compost. (Can you put weeds in a compost? I heard vegetation only, and that’s certainly vegetation.)
Used cat litter: I have a cat. And my cat is not toilet trained. (Don’t laugh. My previous cat was! He stood at the back door and scratched just like a dog.) But this is an indoor cat who makes his littler box dirty. I have heard that you can keep critters like rabbits and groundhogs out of you garden by sprinkling the edges with used kitty litter. But I imagine you don’t need to do that every week. And… well… yuck! (Besides, what would I do after growing season ends?)
Feminine napkins: Okay, I’m going to get a little TMI on you here, but if you’re a woman, then it’s relevant. Used pads make trash. Tampons can be flushed. Problem solved. Switch to tampons! And on days where I have to wear back-up protection, well… I’ll just have to make frequent trips to the local gas station. (Just kidding.) I don’t mind laundering cloth napkins, scrub rags — even hankies. But I’m not going there! For the first time in my life, I’m looking forward to menopause.
Disposable razors: These are made up of both plastic and metal. So I imagine they can go in the Plastic/Metal/Glass bin. But how will they separate that at the plant? My son (a welder) had worked on a recycle center’s sorting machine recently. He said first there’s a sucking section that sucks out all the lightweight aluminum. Then a stronger sucker that sucks out the plastics. Then there’s a very strong magnet that pulls all the magnetized metals out. After that, all that’s left is glass. If something is made up partly of plastic and partly of metal, what does the machine do with it? Maybe it’s time to consider non-disposable razors. Do they make them for women?
These are my biggest dilemmas at present. But they aren’t huge ones. Just stuff to think about.
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