Let's Talk Trash, edited by Laura Dickerson
May1, 2003, Column from the Lexington Minuteman
RECYCLING QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q: There were lots of trash boxes along the parade route on Patriot's
Day but none for recycling. Why not?
A: It's an interesting idea.
On Discovery Day this year (May 24th) there will be
container recycling, possibly with volunteers stationed nearby to remind
people which item is trash and which is to be recycled. If this works
well, maybe it could be expanded to Patriot's Day. It will be
interesting to compare the amount of recyclables versus trash .
A lot of drinks are sold in cups rather than cans or bottles, so they are
trash.
Q: I took some flattened boxes to Hartwell Avenue to put them into the
cardboard collection dumpster. It was entirely full, and people had left boxes
sitting on the ground next to it. How often is it emptied? Is
there any way to know the best time to drop off the cardboard?
A: When it fills up, the DPW calls Waste Management to come collect it.
The whole container is taken away and then returned empty, so the lag time is
from whenever the call is made until they bring it back. It's hard to specify
an ideal time to stop by with your cardboard, but you could call the DPW
number at the end of the column and ask when the dumpster was emptied last.
At this time of year many people are applying pesticides to their
lawns. This is unnecessary - there are many techniques for growing
healthy grass that don't involve toxic chemicals. See for example the
gardening columns by Carol Stocker in the Boston Globe, the book
"Chemical-Free Lawn" by Warren Schultz (ISBN 0 87857 802 3), web
sites such as
http://www.cce.cornell.edu/suffolk/grownet/lawnmain/lwnwopes.html
or other sources.
If you do apply pesticides, follow the instructions extremely
carefully. If the chemicals land on paved areas or anywhere from which
they could wash into a storm drain, the pesticides will end up in streams,
because that is where the storm drain water goes. It doesn't get
processed in any way. For more information on stream preservation, see
http://www.state.ma.us/dfwele/river/rivAAS_toc.htm
or call (617) 626-1549.