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

Q How do I dispose of surplus pieces of wall-to-wall carpet which the installer left behind? Some pieces are large, some pad as well. Also can you re-clarify recycling waxed coated containers such as orange juice containers, light wax like bacon boxes?

A: Carpet pieces can be treated as a bulky trash item. If you're talking about pieces that will fit in your trash can/bag, go ahead and put them in with your other trash. If they are really large, roll them up (not longer than 4 feet, so you may have to cut them down), tie them with twine, and put them out next to your regular trash. If it's new carpet and big enough to be useful to someone else, you could donate it to the Boston Building Materials Resource Center. Their phone number is 617-442-8917, or see their Web site: www.bostonbmrc.org.

The orange juice containers are sometimes actually coated with plastic, and are treated as other plastic containers. You should put them in the recycle bin. Rinse them and remove their caps if they have any. Boxes that contain food vary. Most cracker or cereal boxes are fine to put into the paper bin, because the actual food was inside a plastic bag in the box. Any paper product (like a pizza box or a cake box) that has food stains must go into the trash, as the soiled paper will contaminate the new product made by recycling it. One of the quick check rules for stuff made of cardboard that might be OK to put in the paper bin is to try to tear it with your hands - not cut it with scissors. If it tears easily, it's probably OK to treat it as paper.

Q One of the town e-mail lists recently had an exchange about composting indoors using worms. Do you have information?

A: Cary Library has a copy of the book "Worms eat my garbage," a good source for

information. A problem with indoor worm composting is that you have remember that they're living creatures - if you go away for vacation and they run out of food (since you're not there to give them kitchen scraps) they can starve to death.

A great site meant for kids but with good information for everyone: yucky.kids.discovery.com/noflash/worm/pg00010 4.html.

Notes

It was clear at the CRT/electronics drop-off day that people can be confused about how to dispose of certain items.

Microwave ovens are full of electronic parts, but they are considered the same as larger appliances such as full-size stoves or washing machines. You need to call Waste Management at 800-649-2945 to schedule a pickup, and then leave the appliance at the curb by the specified day.

It is certainly true that some sorts of batteries are hazardous. These include: lithium batteries, such as those used in some cameras; hearing aid batteries; and the rechargeable kind such as nickel cadmium or nickel metal hydride batteries. You can take these to Theatre Camera, Target stores, the hazardous waste collection days at Hartwell Avenue, and button batteries can be put into the collection boxes in Town Hall or Cary Library. On the other hand, any alkaline batteries made in the last ten years can be thrown into the regular trash, as they no longer are made with mercury.

It is fine to bring toner cartridges to the CRT/electronics days, but there are other collection sites available. For exammple, Staples stores will take them for recycling.

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 Iexrecycles@hotmail.com. For more information, check out the SWAT Web page at wwwlexingtonma.org/swat/HomePage.htrh, the town's Web site ci.lexington.ma.us (click on the Solid Waste quicklink) or call: 781-274-7298.