| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| happymama58 |
Posted - Feb 13 2007 : 12:09:59 PM
I've been a city-dweller (well, my hometown has approx. 38,000) and am new to rural living. Dh is from a farm in this area, so I'm adapting to his version of the country way of doing things.
First of all, I compost all my scraps (except meat, dairy, fats, etc.), and we burn lots of stuff. However, I don't have a clue as to what to do with aluminum foil and tin cans. Dh's parents have always had a "dump site" on their land where they dig a huge hole, using much of the dirt elsewhere, and when it gets almost full they cover it up. We don't want to do that. I'm figuring eventually -- after we begin harvesting from our own garden this year -- we'll have lots fewer cans, but I'm sure we'll still have some, plus aluminum foil, etc. So what do I do with those things?
Yes, we can get trash pick-up, but the only company that does that around here requires you to put one of their metal dumpsters (2 sizes available) near the road and they empty it on a regular basis. I don't want one of those dumpsters at the end of my driveway, right in the middle of the gorgeous view from my front porch, and neither does dh.
Some people search for happiness; others create it.
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Please visit me at www.marykay.com/pmiinch |
| 4 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| kitchensqueen |
Posted - Feb 13 2007 : 3:43:43 PM
I think you can probably eliminate the aluminum foil from your household if you make a couple of simple changes. For wrapping freezer items like meats, I have switched over to butcher paper. It's what the professionals use, and in my opinion it does a better job of protecting from freezer burn anyway. For oven cooking, you can get away without it if you have a universal pot lid that fits your casseroles (if they don't have lids already). For baking pans that don't have lids that will fit (like a big tray of scalloped potatoes) I lay a cookie sheet over the top of the dish to keep it covered. For packet dinners, you can use a few layers of parchment paper instead of the foil, and get lovely results.
For the cans, get a manual can crusher. That way you can crush them down to almost nothing, throw them in a recycling bin and then haul them off to be recycled once a month or two.
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Opening in March 2007:
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| shelle |
Posted - Feb 13 2007 : 3:18:38 PM
When we get to move into our new house in the country we will be dealing with the same issue. I also dont want to have to pay $50 a month for trash pick up which I think is outrageous. I will be hauling our trash to town where I work. They have a program where rural folks can pay $10 a month and use certain dumpsters that are placed in town. This is probably a unique arrangement that small towns do but it couldnt hurt to ask in a nearby town if they do this.
Shelle
http://janzenfamilyjournal.blogspot.com/ |
| happymama58 |
Posted - Feb 13 2007 : 1:50:12 PM
We've always recycled soda cans - well, we used to before we pretty much gave up drinking soda -- but I didn't know you could recycle tin cans! Thanks. I know we have two big plastic trash cans from when we lived in town, so I will start doing that.
Some people search for happiness; others create it.
http://happymama58.typepad.com/my_weblog/
Please visit me at www.marykay.com/pmiinch |
| La Patite Ferme |
Posted - Feb 13 2007 : 1:19:11 PM
I can understand you not wanting to have that dumpster be the first thing people see when they come to visit; or burying cans on your property. In my area we are able to recycle foil and tin cans (don't get very much for it). So I have a 33gal trash can I put them in until we go to the recycling center. Hope this helps.
Jenn
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