Trash & Waste

Trash

If normal services are interrupted, trash is a serious urban health danger. If you don't take care of it, the mice and flies will, and you won't like that. The primary rule is: Be careful what you throw away and how you throw it away. "What ya do with what ya got" is a traditional saying that bears remembering. People can respond creatively to disruptions of normal supplies and services. When you begin to think of your trash as less of a disposal problem and more of a useful resource, you are getting to the point.

Reduce Trash

Start by throwing away less stuff. Bottles and cans have other uses once they have been emptied; food and shredded paper can be composted. If stores are closed, you'll find uses for cans. Sort what you throw away; a big problem with recycling is the practice of mixing different kinds of trash. Don't mix wet and dry trash, you will create a stinky mess that will be attractive to flies and mice. Keep toxic items such as spray paint cans separate. Don't put disposable diapers in with other trash. Separate it, bag it, and cover it with a tarp so it can't get wet.
 

Compost

Compost the wet trash. Mix shredded dry materials (such as newspapers, leaves or sawdust), wet and green trash (lawn clippings, kitchen/garden scraps) with dirt. No meats or fats should be added to this mixture. Keep this compost heap covered with dry material, and slightly damp. If it starts to stink, you probably need to add more dry material or dirt. As the compost rots, it generates heat. You can capture some of this heat as hot water by running a garden hose through the compost heap.