September 12, 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 missed the summer CRT collection. When is the next one?

A: Sat. Oct. 26 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the DPW barn at 201 Bedford St.

Q. Why aren't there more yard waste pickups? It's a health hazard to have the bags sitting around for weeks at a time.

A: It's expensive. There is no way to pay for more pickups without budgeting extra funds. There were two extra summer pickups scheduled that had to be canceled when PAYT was voted down, because the tag revenue was gone. There should not be anything in your yard waste bag that presents a health hazard. The bags should contain leaves, clippings, small brush and such. Kitchen scraps should be composted (see below) or disposed of.

The curbside yard waste pick up will begin the week of Oct. 7. If you want to drop it off, the facility on Hartwell Avenue is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sundays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and in November will also be open on Saturdays.

Reminder: just as you should be recycling all your paper at home, remind your students to recycle at school. There are bins for paper in all the Lexington public schools.

Ann McGovern of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection offers composting how-to seminars in various parts of the state. Her fall schedule includes: Saturday, Sept. 28, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Spencer-Pierce-Little Farm, Newbury. Contact: Gabe Selak 978-462-2634; Saturday, Sept. 28, 3 to 4:30 p.m. Stearns Organic Farm, Framingham. Contact: Bonnie Glass 978-579-7996; Monday, Oct. 21, 7 to 9 p.m. Newton Free Library, Druker Auditorium. Contact: Barbara Herson, 617964-7463; Saturday, Oct. 26 1 to 3 p.m. Cambridge Center for Adult Education Contact: CCAE 617-547-6789. Registration is required for all of these, and a fee is charged.

There is an effort to add one of her classes to the Lexington Community Education program in the spring. More info on that later.

If attending a class is not for you, there are very useful pamphlets available from the town at Cary Library, at the DPW at 201 Bedford St., and at Town Hall, both in Room 206 and in the kiosk just inside the front door. There are also many helpful Web sites (including the SWAT site, mentioned at the foot of the column) and books. The basic formula for ideal compost is browns (dried leaves, for example) + greens (vegetable peelings, fresh plants) + air + a little water.