MEANWHILE HERE IN THE HOOD

There are those on one of the far sides of the political world who believe we are slowly but surely loosing our rights.  They watch with suspicious eyes as Big Brother sticks his nose into more and more of "Our Business".  The latest infringement upon our rights is the Obama nationalized medical debacle insurance.  No longer do you have the freedom to walk around in the land of the uninsured--unless you are willing to pay a hefty price for your willful disobedience.  But THIS IS NOT a political blog site and I will not go into my feelings on socialized medicine.




We have MUCH bigger fish to fry here in the hood---the garbage gestapo  police have been set free and are raining havoc on trash pickup days.  It has become a police state--I tell you!  What has happened to our basic freedom to throw out the garbage?



My "Felony Garbage Rap Sheet" began with a warning letter from the nice Department of Trash Removal.  It seems I misunderstood the rules for recycling and had been putting plastic sacks which were not the right kind of plastic sacks in the recycle can.  A not so friendly letter was received warning me one more time and NO MORE pick up ---IN FACT--they would take my can away from me.    GASP!  NOW--in case you did not understand--the gestapo someone had to be looking at what I was putting in the recycle can or going through my garbage.


In a fit of paranoia--I began to research just what you could and could not put in those recycle cans.  I quickly discovered, it would take a degree in refuse engineering to get it right.  AND THEN--you have to handle it all correctly.  It must be washed out before putting in the recycle can.  That is correct--you must wash your trash before disposing of it.

I finally figured out a way around the maze---ONLY put VERY safe items in the recycle can and NEVER risk loss of "THE CAN"!  It has worked like a charm---I usually only have 2-3 inches in the huge can for recycling.

THEN along comes the new tenant.  They are vegans---and eat lots of things which come in glass and plastic containers.  They also seem to like to wash their grass down with hops.  SO now the recycle can is full every week--since we share the recycle can.  The only thing is--I have had to go through the recycle can and school them on the Yes & No's of recycling.  It really did not occur to me that might be a problem until I noticed a "PLASTIC SACK" in the can when putting out the garbage.  OH DEAR!  HOPEFULLY it is all straightened out---but I must admit I have NOT checked their washing out of all containers.

THEN this week---is bulk pick up for the month.  They will very kindly pick up your bulk items once a month--BUT SHOCK--it has to be done a certain way and has lots of rules and regulations.  All bulk must be on the street at 7 AM  Monday morning and sometime during the week they will pick it up.  I put out a small stack of Styrofoam shipping padding and an old plastic drawer set.  It did not disappear, but I did not become alarmed--because my neighbors also have bulk still in front of their house.

Come Wednesday---an official Fort Worth--Department of Refuse truck comes around and the garbage police officer begins to make her rounds.  She tells me I cannot put my bulk pickup on my sidewalk--it must be on the grass.  NOW the cans need to be on the sidewalk or the street--NOT on the grass.  I will probably stay in a state of confusion over what goes where!   SO easy fix and she was polite to me- we parted on good terms--with me still slightly muddle headed over what goes where.

My neighbor was not so fortunate.  She gets a not so nice warning on her door---and the trash in her front yard is NOT EVEN HERS.  It is her next door neighbor's!  When she calls, they tell her she will be responsible since the trash is in her yard.  The neighbor says----"Your grass was all dead, and we didn't think it would hurt it." (PLEASE NOTE-I have taken all editorial comment out of this---in an effort to be a good neighbor!)  

GARBAGE DRAMA IN THE HOOD!

I long for those old days when I took the garbage out to a large old oil barrel and burned it. Once a month the refuse people came by and got the ashes to take to the dump (NOT A LANDFILL IN THE OLD DAYS) Things were so easy and uncomplicated!


The only problem in those days was the occasional possum snarling up at me from the depths of the garbage barrel when I disturbed his dinner.

This invariably lead to me having to pick up the garbage which I threw straight up in the air before running for the hills.  Momma had NO sympathy!

That pesky little problem of destroying the environment had to rear its ugly head and destroy the simplicity of dealing with the garbage!

That's all the garbage  news here in the hood.  
Still living life large--here in the hood!

13 comments

  1. Lulu this post has set me fuming. We have the same sort of idiot instructions over here.

    We have three wheelie containers (like the blue one in your picture above). One is black for all sort of rubbish (whatever that is - presumably left over food or such like - but NO CONTAINERS, and NO GLASS like bottles or jam jars and so on). Take all your GLASS items away and drive a mile or so to the big re-cycling center and put them there. You're saving the environment and wasting petrol/gas at the same time and polluting the atmosphere.

    Then we have an orange wheelie bin. This is for re-cycling paper, envelopes, newspapers, leaflets, cardboard, tins and cans of food, (wash them first, and take off the paper label from the can and put it in the same orange re-cycling bin), plastic bags, plastic bottles of shampoo, liquid soap and whatever, plastic milk bottles, plastic containers of ready-cooked meals, aluminium foil, cardboard boxes from the pizza delivery, (clean the box first, just lick it clean), shoes, woollen items, clothing, towels, sheets etc ... etc ... Basically anything that can be re-cycled including the leaflet which they sent you explaining all about re-cycling. This orange bin is emptied every other week. As you can imagine it is full to overspilling by then. There is just no room left for me to put the mother-in-law in.

    Then we have a green bin. This is for garden refuse like grass cuttings, branches, dead leaves etc ... But don't you dare put those cabbage leaves or carrot and potato peelings or spinach leaves in this bin. They go in the black bin. Have you not read the leaflet we sent you. Put in the green bin only things from your garden! And if you grow your own vegetables like carrots and spinach read the leaflet again. Get it out of the orange bin and put it somewhere safe where you can refer to it every time you are confused.

    And take your mother-in-law out of the orange bin. She is yours to keep and cherish not to re-cycle.

    Has anyone who invented all this re-cycling business added up all the costs of making all these re-cycling bins? Having different vehicles collecting different trash. Cost of vehicles and petrol. Cost of sorting plastic from cardboard and tins and cans. Cost of sending each to various centers for re-cycling. Cost of melting tins and cans or plastic bottles to make something else. I've read that plastic bottles are re-cycled and made into rulers and coat hangers. Pretty soon the world will be drowning up to its nose in rulers and coat hangers and we'll need another colored bin to re-cycle them in.

    OK Lulu ... I have now calmed down.

    God bless.

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  2. Oh by the way ... if by accident you break a window in your house, or from your greenhouse, it is OK to put the broken glass in the black bin. But NO GLASS BOTTLES OR JARS - OK? Drive to the big re-cycling center and put them there as we told you in the leaflet. And when you get there, make sure you put green bottles in the green glass re-cycling bin, brown bottles in the brown bin and clear ones in the clear glass bin. Just read the notices on the bins. Don't mix bottle colours - get it!

    Some people just don't read all those leaflets we send them!

    Lulu ... I am fuming again! The mother-in-law has just arrived. I can see her broomstick in the porch.

    God bless.

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    1. My Saturday laugh! Thanks, Victor, you Brits have the corner on the bureaucracy market!!
      Weekend Blessings, Friend!

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  3. I could not live in such a neighborhood, here, they have a volunteer recycle program, and they also have a free recycle place at the local dump. Yep, and it's upstate NY---I guess/gather they tried to enforce it, but people had - had enough. Sorry Lulu, I have had enough of living in Gestapo land and don't even get me going on Obama---we have to drive nearly 2 hours to see a doctor here--and believe me, it's not worth it. Like I said, don't get me going. As for your nosy neighbors...well...never mind, lol.

    Blessings

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    1. Take a deep breath & count to 10! Laugh when you can & leave the heartburn behind! Didn't mean to push your buttons, friend!
      Weekend Blessings!

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  4. oh my, the garbage gestapo! let's get out the old barrel, yes!

    and that possum is just too fun ... there are many mornings when I certainly must bear a striking resemblance to that vicious looking creature! gosh, those teeth! and the beady eyes!

    you crack me up, girl ...

    ;-}

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    1. All truth, Linda!! Always good to laugh instead of grumble-right Friend?
      Weekend Blessings, Friend!

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  5. [not directed at you, I'm smiling] It behooves me as to why usually mature adults put up with these mini-dictators. Recycling does NOTHING to help the environment. It's a big lie. It's all to make money for the mini-dictators. Thankfully, we don't have such nonsense in the country. If we did, I would A) ignore the paper, B) save all that 'offends' the tyrants, C) take it to their office and dump it on their front lawn with a note that says, "You handle it."
    Now you know why they call me Sparky. *grin*
    Hope your day is blessed. ~:)

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    1. I'm laughing, Sparky! Guess your not a rule follower -LOL!!

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    2. Nope. Not those kind of rules. However, if it makes sense, they're polite and respectful, and it truly helps others, then I do follow the rules. ~:)

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    3. I agree with Sparky, lol. AND I am well, Lulu...all is good. smiles

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  6. Too funny! My favorite line? "it would take a degree in refuse engineering to get it right." Pretty soon, they will be installing cameras on toilets that will flash a picture of every flush. (Just what all are we sending into the sewers!)

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    1. I cringe to think, Len! You guys live in a garbage utopia there in Ruston! Outside the bubble--it can be a stinky mess trying to rid yourself of the garbage!
      Blessings, Friend!

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Your comments keep my writing and often cause me to think. A written form of a hug or a pat on the back and an occasional slap into reality---I treasure them all!