I’ve been going over lists of what is accepted curbside (recycling), what is accepted at project COW, and other things accepted at WSWMD for a fee, as well as things accepted for free, what can go into a backyard composter, and what should not, what is hazardous waste and who will take it (when and where).

I’ve had many questions, found some of the answers and made notes on my list, and have turned my patio into a mini-sorting station, but still haven’t found a way to make a seamless trip from purchase to disposal for every little thing. A bag with odds and ends hangs on the closet door one day, the kitchen door the next. I’ve got a little “drib” of this, and a “drab” of that, and I continue to stockpile and plan my disposal attack.

I had to take a couple days of vacation from my trash study. It was giving me a form of sea-sickness, adjusting my eyes from one chart of small print, to a flier with pictures – then onto the computer and various trash / recycling sites with mountains of information and scads of images.

My goal has been to gather up all this information, and sort it into digestible piles to then share, one pile at a time with people who want to start some good habits or improve on ones they already have. This has not been easy, but it’s slowly taking shape. If nothing else, I’ll become a master at reduce, recycle, reuse.

Dealing with what seems to be one endless list after another, I wanted to find a starting point for sharing everything I’ve learned in an organized way, and one that could be simplified as much as possible. But then I realized that this information is already out there, and maybe it overwhelms other people just as it overwhelmed me.

Then, I realized that the starting point could be the one list that hasn’t been made yet, and one that’s likely to prove the shortest list of all, which would be an all inclusive answer to this question:

If a household put only those things in a trash bag that cannot be recycled or otherwise disposed of by the various means and methods available to us here in Brattleboro, what would be in that trash bag?

1.) Any form of Styrofoam container
2.) Any type of plastic food wrap (like saran wrap)
3.) Any type of plastic bag other than the usual plastic grocery/store bag (think bags used for frozen veggies, sandwich bags, insert bags in cereal boxes, bread bags or soiled store bags, and the bags that contain things like snack chips)
4.) Cigarette butts
5.) Any paper bag that may also be permanently laminated on the inside with plastic. (non-removable, such as some pet food bags, padded mailing envelopes)
6.) Twist ties and the plastic bread closure tabs
7.) Plastic forks, knives or spoons, and plastic plates.
8.) Hard molded plastics (such as a broken CD case) and soft plastics (such as a broken “action” figure)
9.) Over- used, deflated bubble wrap.
10.) Empty dental floss holders

This is more of a challenge than it seems, unless someone out there is already a master trasher who has experience with every imaginable piece of Brattleboro trash. But my thought is, that if a “yes” list for a trash bag can be built, then anything that doesn’t appear on that list is going to be something that qualifies for some other “disposal” method, and that could really be the best starting point for self-teaching or at least a meaningful way to engage in awareness.

So, HELP!! I need a bigger list than 10 items – or is that all there is?