A Trip to the Dump

Today was "M residents get in for free day" at the local landfill. I know, sounds incredibly exciting and I can understand if many of you turn your computers off at this moment....

There really is a story here, so for you brave souls....We (M&M&N) have been working like mad on the side area of our yard. (NOTE: the photo to the left is NOT of any place in our yard...but, I wish!) We have pulled a bunch of ivy off the fence and cleared a lot of weeds from the more flat areas. There were weeds that were three feet high when we moved in and once they were cut down, they were stubborn to remove completely. They are still a pain in the rear. But, a few minutes here and there with the hoe has been satisfying on many levels; aesthetically, spiritually, ecumenically.....

Okay, so I'm straying from my title here. Today, I loaded up about 15 trash bags full of the weeds and dead leaves and all the other yard junk that has not been able to fit into our Yard Trimmings waste bin (picked up once a week) and also the small dumpster we rented when we first moved in to this place. I hauled it all to the dump and while I was on my way, I had a nice little trip down memory lane....

When I was a youngster (i.e. early teens) living in Windsor, I used to go to the town dump with my Dad on Saturdays. We had a little sticker in the windshield and I always thought it was really funny that we had to stop on a scale before we went in. Like, how do they know exactly how much my Dad and I and the truck weigh versus the trash?? ((Oh, the things that make young grey matter churn.)) I felt very privileged to be helping my Dad at the dump. He's probably reading this laughing his rear-end off! He got slave labor and I was actually ENJOYING IT!! My brother was no dummy. He didn't want anything to do with the dump. Yep, it was bonding day for me and Dad. Seriously though, my Dad and I have a great relationship and it would be okay for him to read this since I told him this story this afternoon when I called him. We do talk about things other than the dump. (I love you, Daddy!!!)

As I'm waiting in the line for my turn to dump, I was trying to imagine what it would look like. Now, really, I have not been to many dumps in my lifetime. When I lived on Staten Island, there was a place near the mall where the seagulls would be in constant flight formation. That, and the putrid, but sweetish, smell always told you where the dump was. I remember going there one time (to that mall) and realizing about the dump and the not going back there for a long while (a year or so) and then returning to find how much the landfill had grown! Yikes! My dad was telling me today about the landfill in the town where I grew up and how high it is now. I had long forgotten, or put out of my mind at least, how much we humans throw away. Today's trip was a sobering reminder. I think everyone should go to the dump once or twice a year (and bring the kids, popcorn and binoculars!) to remind themselves just how wasteful we can be.

I was even at least going to be somewhat environmental but opening the non-biodegradable trash bags and dumping all the leaves, dirt, vines, etc. One of the workers made a point of coming over to stop me from opening the bags and told me to simply the stuff on the pile, bags and all. So, there I was throwing the plastic bags which contained bio-degradable contents onto a large pile of branches which was covering a huge metal desk. As I pitched the last bag, a couple got out of the huge Escalade next to me, (kids in the back watching a DVD. I don't think they had any popcorn, though) and dumped a huge plastic storage tub that looked brand new! They also dumped a very large plastic dog bed and several large rolls of used kitchen floor vinyl.

I wonder, in 10, 000 years, what the archeologists of that day will think about that plastic dog bed. Can that be accurately carbon dated?

~~Mama