Portland Composts and I Simmer
2011-11-02 22:02:50
So I got some 13 gallon compostable bags for the garbage can we keep under the sink. Paying six bucks for 12 bags was reminiscent of filling up my tank... “Why I remember when I could get 1,000 bags for 6 bucks!” It almost makes me want to toss a couple quarters in the bottom of the can when I change a bag, except quarters aren't compostable... or curbside recyclable, for that matter.
I moved the non-compostable garbage can into the closet where we have the three bins we use for recycling -- tin/plastic/paper, glass and returnables. It’s getting crowded in there with another receptacle.
Making dinner went smoothly, although now I find myself stacking up more stuff to take to the recycling closet. I wasn't thinking about the dirty zip lock bags and saran wrap with bits of beef fat stuck to it when I thought about “dry-non-compostable” stuff.
But I also found myself putting more wet stuff into the compost can than I would have in the normal garbage can. They want us to put less down the garbage disposal, which means more smelly stuff in the house, and at fifty cents a bag you know I'm going to wait until it's damn full before I take that garbage out.
It’s not that we don’t need to manage our waste stream better, I know that humans make a big mess with banana peels and rotting kitchen waste. It was the unilateral, “We’re all going to do this a single way -- get your buckets!” It's that this isn't really solving much. Take the fact that I have to buy those damn bags made from corn. If you’ve been paying attention, you know it takes almost as much petroleum to grow, harvest, and process that corn into a plastic bag. And all that carbon is staying above ground rather than getting trapped in a landfill... that can't be a green option...
But mainly, I just hate having to walk that extra 10 feet to throw away the stuff that doesn’t compost.