The Dirt on Garbage

I had reason to celebrate on Monday....my trash did not get rejected!  No orange stamp of shame on my bags sitting on the side of the road for me!  If you think this is a small accomplishment then I have news for you.  Trash sorting up here is a serious business.  I have at least three written fliers explaining the trash sorting, classifications and schedule for the summer. 

Just a few rules to follow here when throwing things away

It seems that every year the regulations get more and more specific.  We arrived this year to a new green bin, or "bin of joy", as TJ fondly refers to it.  This lovely, expensive (I'm sure) bin is for compostable waste.  Things like leftovers if you ask me.  Used tissue and paper towels, paper plates, and the stuff we usually would put down the garbage disposal but we don't have one here so it goes in the "bin of joy".  Since we live on a farm, sort of, we just use our compost bin next to the garden for most of the fruit and vegetable waste, of the earth/back to the earth theory. 

Then there is the recycling which should be pretty simple by now.  We have been doing this for a long time, it hasn't changed much.  We are pretty good little recyclers and hope to stay that way.

Then there is the garbage situation.  They have required everyone to use clear plastic bags....so they can spy on your garbage and bust you if a tea bag sneaks into the garbage and they are in the mood to slap one of those orange stamps of shame on your garbage.  The garbage category seems to be getting smaller and smaller every year.  Pretty soon they will allow one small zip loc bag for your two week pickup, clear of course.  

What does everyone do with the stuff they don't allow in the garbage, recycling or compost?  Well, here in Nova Scotia they have the great trash extravaganza in July when you get to throw away just about anything.  The road is littered with toilets, old sofas, broken down bbq pits, carpeting, appliances, building materials, junk, more junk and more junk!  The road looks like a garage sale nightmare gone horribly wrong for about 2 weeks.  That is when the scavengers come shopping.   You think I am kidding?  I am serious!

Just doing a little roadside shopping?

I guess none of this is compost....?

So, every week I tentatively put out my clear bags for inspection and pickup and hope they take my garbage and I don't have to fish out whatever contraband is lurking inside. If I happen to fail garbage sorting, I get to hang onto my rejected trash for another two weeks until they come around and pick it up again.  I seriously think we need to make a new event for the games this year, Sort This Trash!