Thursday, October 9, 2008

one less trip

What's in your trash can?


Since starting to recycle, I have been proudly delivering all of our paper, plastic, cardboard, metal, and glass to a local recycling center. And taking everything else to the landfill.

But, STOP, maybe I am going about this backwards. Perhaps I should take only biodegradeable stuff to the landfill and recycle everything else.

But what about all that stuff in the middle, stuff that will not break down in the landfill, stuff that the center will not take, like styrofoam and foil?

Since starting to recycle, our trip to the landfill is down to one bag a week. Now I am thinking why go at all? Why use the gas?

After taking out the styrofoam and foil, most of what is in my kitchen trash can is food-covered paper plates, paper towels, wax-covered ice cream containers, and pizza boxes.

I finally came to the conclusion that we are overthinking this green thing a bit, as I carried the bag of trash out behind the shed and burned it. Poof, trash all gone, nothing for the landfill to process, no gas for the car to haul it to the landfill, problem solved.

Or is it? I Googled burning trash and read about how bad this is, but if I am just burning paper, one bag a week, is it so bad? What do you think?

spring