I’m starting a major cleanout of my home, preparing to sell in the near future. Well, at some point. I have no illusions that this clean out will happen quickly or easily. One bit at a time. I am going to go through mounds of things I have collected over the years and get rid of as much as I can. Some to friends and family, some to charity, and some is simply trash that must be disposed of properly.
I’m not a pack rat because I love all my stuff or think I will need it ”someday”, but I simply am always in avoidance mode when it comes to doing things I find unpleasant or intimidating.
A trip to the dump is one of those intimidating things that I was avoiding. My trash service will pick up a lot of things, but living in the county a lot of other things (such as appliances and furniture) require a trip to the “solid waste center.”
My friend Jan was willing to go with me the first time and we got rid of some old chairs, as well as one of the old TVs I had around the house.
The other old TV I tackled on my own this week, along with a very old computer monitor and a bike rack without all its parts that a friend had given me over my protests. I not only did not know how to use it, but what was that elusive piece she said I needed? I had no clue or any idea where to get it. It sat in my garage for years.
I’d been to the dump with my dad growing up. It was a sad place. Piles and piles of assorted trash that would eventually get buried. At least I think that’s what they did with it.
Today it’s called the Solid Waste Facility (though there are still signs that say ”Landfill”) and it’s a sight to behold.
It’s still intimidating to me, possibly more than I anticipated, but I suspect I will be taking many trips there in the next few months.
I was excited to see the commitment to recycling. There are bins for all kinds of things everywhere, as well as places to put your general trash. My metal lawn chairs went in the ”Metals” area, the mostly plastic bike rack in the “General Trash”.
And then there was the appliance graveyard, where I took my TVS and computer monitors. They had served me well, but after trying to find new owners for these 20+ year old items, I decided it was time for them to become homeless. I saw palettes of others already processed ready to go to the next stop of their journey.
There are some beautiful touches at our landfill. A lot of flowers and even this cool little glass house someone had built with recycled materials. A good reminder that trash can be come treasure.
All in all, I am excited with this new approach to disposing of trash. It’s so much more than a dump these days.
“He admired the job of the man who walks along the road picking up trash with a long stick. He thought that guy had a great job, walking along with a stick, enjoying the road, and doing only good in the world, with hundreds of small actions. “
Lisa Henson, about her father Jim
In the Box, Out of the Box 