It is not as bad as it sounds. We will still have weekly recycling pick-up. Since we started our financial diet our trash bin has been empty every week. A newly potty trained child also helps to lighten the trash (no more stinky diapers!). A few years ago, before our son was born, we had monthly trash service and it was perfect for the two of us. It is really not about saving money... It only works out to about $10 per month savings. It just feels like a good thing.
We are motivated and inspired to create less trash. We are really good about recycling and we compost our food scraps. I'm not willing to go as far as No Impact "FAMILY", but they have some great ideas in their blog http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2007/07/how-we-avoid-ma.html
The City of Portland recently released a draft PORTLAND RECYCLES plan. It is really exciting! (http://www.portlandonline.com/osd/index.cfm?a=bfejjc&c=edafc#residential)
The proposal states the city will offer new 65 gallon carts for recycling in 2008. Yogurt and margarine containers, plastic lids, and plastic nursery pots will become recyclable. In phase two (2009) food scraps and food soiled paper will be collected every week with yard debris. Standard garbage pick-up will be changed to every other week. It is such a good plan!
We are very excited about the four "compost" pumpkins growing in our garden. The seeds were in our compost from last Halloween! Wouldn't it be cool if we actually grew some pumpkins?!
2 comments:
You know NYC is on an enviro kick, thanks to our enlightened Mayor Bloomberg-Be-Green. Trash is a problem when 8 million neighbors are bearing down on and around the perimeter of an island. I'm amused and amazed by the change of your trash pick up schedule from monthly to weekly, first because YOU can schedule your pick-up in a major city? Wow! And, second, my apartment building can't go two days without a trash pick up by the NYC Sanitation crew. When I go for a run in the morning on trash pick up day, if I see the white sanitation truck ahead of me on the street I'll cross to the other side or duck down a side street to get out of its stinky wake. However, our garbage men are very friendly in this neighborhood. I feel badly running away from them because later on, when I'm showered and on my way to work, I need to pass them as they're still working the neighborhood and they always wave and say 'good morning.' This note has nothing to do with saving money by simple living but the joy of simple living - when you get trash pick up more often you actually have Mr. Rogers mornings with your garbage men. Pretty simple neighborly life in New York City. - IsleOfJoy.wordpress.com
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