Most of us create garbage, pay people to haul it away and forget about it.
Unless you forget to drag it to the curb at 5 a.m. — as we did last week, staying up late the night before watching “Fringe.”
We’re a family of six, so it didn’t take long to amass overflowing garbage cans that signaled the woodland creatures to invite all their brethren to a midnight feast.
I was dragging yet another plastic bag of garbage outside to the curb when I saw a squirrel tuck a chicken bone into its mouth before darting away —the remnants of Monday’s dinner.
The front of our house looked like a tornado had blasted through spewing trash everywhere.
I was scraping up a trail of eggshells and pink yogurt infused coffee grounds using the splintered chicken carcass as a makeshift shovel.
The experience changed me.
Afterward, I considered a statistic I’d heard, that Renton’s recycling program was one of the best in the country. Our residents diverted 70 percent of their garbage from the landfill.
It was never more obvious that our family could do a better job reducing, reusing and recycling. So I contacted Linda Knight, the solid-waste coordinator for the City of Renton, for some suggestions.
Linda was really happy we were there, despite my 13-month-old drooling and cooing all over her stuff.
We were sitting on the floor of her cubicle as Ty cruised her office furniture.
“Garbage and recycling systems have experienced technological advancements in both the collection and processing capabilities,” Linda explained.
In other words, the city makes it easier for the public to reduce the stuff that goes to the landfill, and in doing so, has more chances to make new stuff out of something already used.
“What can go into the yard waste?” I asked of the bin
I learned from Linda that you can pick up compostable plastic bags at your local grocery store or use an old pitcher with a lid and handle, fill it up with food waste (which now includes meat and cheese) and soiled paper and carry it out to the curbside yard waste. Done.
In doing so landfill use could be stretched longer if more people participated in food-scrap and soiled paper recycling.
Linda recommended I take a visit to the dump nee sanitary landfill. Tours are open to anyone interested in trekking out to the 920-acre property off of Maple Valley highway.
So Grandma and I loaded up the four kids into the minivan and we were off to the Cedar Hills Landfill.
“We control the bird population,” said Dean Voelker, the operations manager, referring to the bald eagles, hawks and seagulls swirling around the clear blue sky as we wound up a grassy hill.
Dean was our tour guide.
“Wow!” we all cried as we crested the mountain. I was amazed. We were surrounded by towering evergreens and a peekaboo view of downtown Seattle.
“What a view,” I said as we drove on a hill of garbage so high it was perpendicular to a spectacular view of Mount Rainier.
We drove down into the pit as at least 10 majestic, if a little scruffy bald eagles swirled above our van.
“We exercise bird control,” Dean said with a twinkle in his eye.
I gulped, half expecting to see g-men with rifles taking aim. Eagles are protected; but then there are the seagulls.
“We don’t kill them, we scare ‘em . . . so they don’t think this is a food source.”
From the safety of the air-conditioned van, Dean positioned us perfectly to observe a semi-truck pull up to the top of the pit, lift the flat bed up as gravity slid all the garbage into a heap.
It looked like there was a lot of stuff in there that could have been recycled: plastic bags, a water tank, toys, a bicycle.
“You guys don’t recycle any of the stuff in there?” I asked, pointing to the pit.
“This is the last stop for garbage,” Dean replied wistfully as we all watched a bulldozer with spiked silver teeth roll back and forth tamping down the hill. When it was done, another truck was positioning to unload. This goes on all day.
“It’s all about choices.” Dean said. But he didn’t sound heavy handed. “But once it comes here we take responsibility for it . . . we are the stewards of the garbage.”
Officials estimate more than half of the material considered to be “garbage” at the landfill is actually recyclable material.
King County has an ambitious goal to achieve Zero Waste of Resources by 2030. This means that materials with value will not be thrown away.
“This sanitary landfill is a marvel of human engineering,” Dean exclaimed proudly. “Cedar Hills is the most innovative landfill in the nation with the largest trash to energy refinery.”
Dean drove through the property on what was beginning to feel like a recession version of The Northwest Trek. And by the end of the tour, we had seen such sights as toxic lechate pools, water purifying pools, special custom piping, the first landfill on the property and the place where methane gas from the landfill is converted into natural gas.
After a week of garbage sleuthing, I discovered that Bill Gates had recently been spotted with his son at of all places, the Renton Transfer Station.
“Are you sure it was Bill Gates?” I asked my source as I pulled out my pen. Who knew there was so much to garbage?
“Yeah, he’s looking at the way we do our garbage in Renton as a model for ways to help third-world countries deal with their garbage.”
I felt proud. I thought of Linda and Dean. They were both so dedicated. These unsung heroes made me want to do more, be better.
I looked up Bill Gates and discovered this recent quote.
“Americans are innovators. Of the 100 great energy ideas, 70 percent of them are based in the United States.”
One trip to the sanitary landfill had three generations pondering, inspiring us to be garbage innovators.
The average American creates 4 1/2 pounds of garbage each day.
Our family creates nearly a half a ton . . . a lot of opportunity for innovation.
We’ve been recycling food scraps and soiled paper for a few days. It feels kind of like going on a diet — once you make up your mind to change, you commit to exchange bad habits for good ones.
Stop and Swap
The Stop and Swap Reuse It! Renton event is 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, June 4, at the south parking lof of Renton Memorial Stadium, 405 Logan Ave. N., hosted by the City of Renton. The idea is to divert quality goods from the garbage and make them available to neighbors and non-profits who can use them for free. All items must be in good working order.
I love suggestions! If you know of people or places in Renton that surprise, delight and inspire the community, drop me a line at carolyn@pippimamma.com.
