Veggiewannabe’s Blog

We have so many myths we tell our children:  Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, The Garbage Man.  They grow out of most of them, or they never believed them in the first place.  My first memory of the  idea of Santa Claus was being told by my brothers and sisters that I had to pretend to believe in him so we all would get presents.  Same deal with the Easter Bunny.  My conniving siblings had no vested interest in my belief or lack of in the Tooth Fairy, so they did not intervene.

But, I think I was in my 30′s before I realize the Truth About the Garbage Man.  Until then, I had this vague idea that you gathered the icky stuff in the big trashcan, rolled it out to the curb, and someone came and took care of it.  I wasn’t up on the finer details, but I believed when you threw something away, it really went away.

But it doesn’t, of course.

Yes, the garbage men come and dump it in there truck, and the truck trundles off, but it just makes another pile somewhere else.  Maybe they push it around with bulldozers, or shove some dirt over it, but it is still here.  All those candy wrappers and socks with holes in them, those fast food wrappers and plastic bottles; they don’t go anywhere.   It just makes bigger and more architecturally complex heaps. plastic island in the ocean landfill structure

Which is why I am attempting to learn how to start a worm compost bin.  (Ick)  So, I took a plastic bin.  I drilled airholes in it,  filled it with layers of cardboard, shredded newsletter, and kitchen waste.  I’m letting it cook for a bit, then I will add some red wrigglers and hope for the best.