Let's Talk Trash, edited by Laura Dickerson April11, 2002, Column from the Lexington Minuteman

This biweekly column tries to answer some of the most commonly asked questions about recycling, composting and the town's solid waste program.

Q. I find newspaper useful as mulch, but worry that the ink is toxic. What information do you have?
A: Many inks are currently soy-based, and nontoxic. Some are petroleum based, but it's a small enough amount to be insignificant. The Home and Garden TV network says not to use anything but black and white newsprint for mulch. See http://www.hgtv.com/HGTV/project/0, 1158,GALA_project 2212,00.html.

More specifically, several sources including the book "Gaia's Garden," the composting expert at the Department of Environmental Protection, and a spokesperson for the Flint Ink company said to leave out the glossy supplements and ads, which may have heavy metals in the ink, but to go ahead and use the regular newspapers for mulch or in your compost. Newsprint with color photographs should be OK.

Q. You recently recommended using a rain barrel, but the one on the Web site you gave is very expensive. Is there any way for the town to sell them cheap, in the same way that we can get the inexpensive compost bins from the DPW?
A: The composters were originally so cheap because the were supplied by the state, which bought them in huge quantities. Since the first set ran out the town has been buying them directly from the manufacturer and slightly subsidizing the cost to keep them at the same price. ($21, call the DPW at 781-862-1618 for more information) Neither the state nor the town has a similar set-up for rain barrels. A somewhat less expensive source in the Boston area is the Boston Building Materials Co-op in Roxbury. The price to non-members is $49 for each plastic barrel, which comes already fitted with a spigot and a gasket at the place for the drain-pipe entry. See their Web site at http://www.bbmc.com for directions, or call 617-442-2262. They can ship them UPS, but that adds to the cost.

REMINDER: This Saturday is the first Household Hazardous Waste collection day of the year. Bring allowable items, including fluorescent bulbs, partial cans of paint, insecticides, and so forth to Hartwell Avenue. from 9 a.m. to 2 P.M.

Got a question or a suggestion? You can reach us by calling the League of Women Voters line at 781-861-0123 or by e-mail at lexrecycles@hotmail.com. For more information, check out the SWAT Web page at http://www. lexingtomna.org/swat/Hom ePage.htm, the PAYT home page at http://ci.lexington.ma.us (click on. the PAYT quicklink) orcall the PAYT number: 781-2747298.