thefridayfive

There are two ways to handle trash and recycling in my region - the first being to carry it to a local convenience center yourself, with hauling of large items to the county dump, and the second to select a trash service that offers one or both services for you. It used to be that you had to pay for a permit for the convenience center, but a little while ago they determined that county taxes actually cover the costs of those facilities, and now they are open to everyone. So, I could do that route, but I do not love filling my car with trash to take it off, so we take advantage of one of the local services. They are quite nice people and they often put up with me running down the drive dragging a can as they pass the house and then meekly waiting by the road barely-caffeinated for them to stop once they've turned through the cul de sac. The recycling pickup is every 2 weeks, and trash pickup is once a week - which, for me and most of my friends, is the reverse of what we really need (recycling is always topped off first!) The only thing we don't have is yard waste collection, which is fine, most of my yard fellings compost naturally here, or we sometimes have a small bonfire (we only even burn natural leaves and limbs) for the things that need to be cleared for fire safety.

2. Do you separate recycling? What sort of stuff gets recycled from your household?

Yes, we always have, and I always encourage people to, as there has been an effort to revamp the National Recycling Initiative and improve the services available, even as there are understandable weaknesses and failures in the current system. (Other countries are so far ahead of the U.S. in this matter.) In our home all cardboard containers/boxes and most plastics are recycled, as well as aluminum, metal, and glass. We also have a local metals and scrap recycling center that pays by the weight that we sometimes use. Oils and car fluids can be taken to a convenience center free of charge. The hardest thing is used electronics - generally the acceptance days for these products run only once or twice a year. And we don't buy a lot of electronics, but if you miss the day you are stuck hold onto items for a while!

3. Do you take things you don't need to charity shops, or give them away online, or sell them secondhand, or ...?

I drop less at charity shops now and most things I pass through my local Buy Nothing Group. I have adult children so many household items have been passed down to them secondhand.

4. Do you pick up litter in your local area, from streets or trails or play areas or parks? Have you ever found anything interesting discarded or lost in a public space?

Yes, I do. I'm a huge believer in trying to leave places (and people) better than you found them, so when we pack for hikes I usually have a couple of bags on us and make sure to pick up found items. Once got an entire opened pocket pack of Kleenexes, which isn't very exciting, but is useful. I also keep trash bags in my car for large items, and I'm frequently picking up dropped items along our lunch walks (usually things that are scattered on trash days, my street is pretty good about not littering.)

5. Are there "repair cafés" near you to help mend fixable items? Have you ever been helped by a community repair service or volunteered for one? Do you do any other kind of upcycling?

Not so much as there used to be, I'd love to see more in our area. Most of the upcycling takes place through the Buy Nothing Group. I once got a metal headboard for a bed that is becoming a muscadine vine trellis. I recently took a cabinet a friend was giving away and "updated" it to the look I wanted with contact paper. Little things, nothing amazing.