Trash and Treasures

Hello:
I worked six days this week, and am obviously juggling how to fit in blogging with all of this work.

Trash
Don't laugh at me, but I just love how we do the trash pick up in Bellevue.  What I mean by that is, we have three bins:  Gray for regular trash, Blue for recycling (you just throw it all in together and they sort it), and Green for yard and kitchen waste.

Pick up is once a week, and your bill is set by the size of the trash container.  There are three sizes for the "toter" cans (they have wheels so are the easiest to bring out to the street), 96 gal, 64 gal and 32 gal.  There is a small set charge for recycling and yard waste, so you can have the giant 96 gal size toter cans for those, or even two 96 gal toters and your bill won't change.

We started out, when we first moved here, with the giant 96 gal trash can.  We quickly realized that with recycling, we could probably fit the middle 64 gal size.  I stood over the trash/recycling bins in the kitchen, and policed every thing that was thrown in.  Who put this plastic in the trash?  Stop right there!  That can be recycled.  I often resorted the trash can, and we soon were able to get that 64 gal can and dropped down to save money.

A few years ago, Cedar Grove Composting, the company that picks up the yard waste, started allowing pizza boxes and other paper/cardboards with foodwaste on them.  Our trash shrunk an amazing amount.

I told Doc that we were barely filling the can half way on most days, and we could drop down to the smallest can.  He was hesitant.  All last year, when just Pookie and Number 1 Son were home, we had just ONE BAG OF KITCHEN TRASH.  It looked so lonely in the middle size can.  Wait until the rest of the kids come home for the summer, Doc cautioned me.

Summer came, and other than the first and last weeks when the kids cleaned out their rooms, we still had barely one bag each week.  After Pookie and Moogie left for college at the beginning of September, I made the call, Send us the 32 gal can.

ha ha ha ha it is so cute and tiny.  It looks so small next to the giant recycling and yard waste toters.  With just Doc, Number 1 Son and myself home, we don't even fill this tiny can even half way.

The trash bill comes every three months.  Because I got the new can in the middle of the three months, we were credited for the difference.  For this trash bill, we had a big black:  DO NOT PAY! on top.  We have a credit of a bit over $8 for the next three month cycle.  Yay!

Treasures
Two packages came for me this week.

One is my monthly blanket square for the HPKCHC Gryffindor Square Swap.  It came all the way from Scotland from SleepyGemmaR.

It is my first square in Gryffindor colors, and came with a piece of Scottish candy.  So much fun.

The owl post in the HPKCHC is very busy this month, as I got a surprise gift from another Gryffindor.  SarahTheEntwife, one of my Acid Pops Pride members, sent me the most beautiful hat.

She added a note saying how much fun she is having this term.  Honestly, I teared up.  She is a really fun member, and (as you can see by the hat) does some really wonderful projects.  I was so touched.  I love the Gryffindor Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) OWL post.  This is one of our most fun traditions. 

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet in knitwear.