Big Garbage Day--A Backyard Observation

Big garbage day comes on the first Thursday of the month in my neighborhood. Regardless of my own history of incredible finds in other people's cast offs, I have become more and more mystified by the paradox of some what is being thrown out. I first started thinking about this a few months ago when all three houses in the dead end across from my front garden put pink plastic playhouses out for pick-up.

Eager to give their children a safe and fun backyard experience many well meaning parents purchase plastic toys and play equipment which are inexpensive and plentiful in the marketplace. Even if these toys are made with recycled plastic, they are ultimately not recycled. Parents who normally recycle, are environmentally aware and have switched to refillable water bottles don't even consider the impact of these toys on the environment their children will inherit once the toys are outgrown and tossed out.

The oh so common and (bleck!) cute turtle sandbox (photo via Little Tykes) below, along with easels, lawn mowers and plastic basketball hoops, racing car beds, and yes, another playhouse were on the curb this morning. Every single one was in good enough shape to be passed on to some other child instead of ending up in the landfill.

#11 Sites & soil

This morning, on another project, they started digging for a pool. Before development 30-40 years ago the area was a known for its rose growing industry so when the excavator dug his first hole we found a layer of ash (from wood burning greenhouse heaters) and wonderful clean soil. It's a problem for the pool, but wonderful for filling in deep interior areas that will be augmented with a custom planting mix and will ultimately become the planting pockets in the rockery. Off I went with a full dump of this brown gold, 10 miles away to the Mansion in May site. This saved the soil from being dumped in some land fill and my pockets from having to buy and truck soil in later.

Notice how grey the soil is--its the ash from the greenhouse stoves.