Trash is a system too

In town, trash goes to the curb once a week and is gone. On much rural land, there is no pickup. You may haul it to a transfer station, a site where you drop off trash and recycling, sometimes for a fee. Or you pay a private hauler.

Either way, trash costs money, fuel and time. It is part of the money and time budgets from lesson 2.

Waste also says something about the rest of the homestead. Less packaging in usually means less trash out.

The waste hierarchy

The waste hierarchy ranks ways of handling waste, from best to last resort (EPA):

• Reduce: do not create the waste at all. Buy less, buy durable, skip packaging.
• Reuse: use things again, repair them, or pass them on.
• Recycle and compost: turn materials into new products or soil.
• Dispose: send what is left to a landfill, as the last step.

Each step up saves money, materials and energy. Recycling helps, but it still takes energy, and not everything put in the bin actually gets recycled.

Best to last

What a homestead throws out

A homestead’s waste looks different from a town home’s.

• Feed and seed bags, plastic sheeting and twine. Many can be reused on site. Some are hard to recycle.
• Building scraps. Offcuts of lumber, metal and insulation. Planning cuts and ordering carefully cuts waste.
• Broken tools and parts. Buying fewer, sturdier tools that can be repaired often costs less over time.
• Food scraps and yard waste. These belong in the compost or with the hens, from lesson 41.

A spot to sort and store reusable materials, kept neat and dry, saves many trips and purchases.

Things that need special handling

Some items are household hazardous waste: products that can catch fire, react, poison, or harm people and water if thrown out with regular trash.

• Batteries of all kinds, especially lithium-ion batteries. EPA has linked them to hundreds of fires in trash trucks, recycling centers and landfills. Tape the ends and take them to a drop-off site.
• Paint, solvents, fuel, motor oil and antifreeze.
• Pesticides and other garden chemicals.
• Old propane cylinders, electronics and fluorescent bulbs.

Many counties hold collection days or run drop-off sites. Ask your county or transfer station what they take, and store these items safely until then. Never pour fuel, oil or chemicals on the ground or into a septic system.

Do not burn or bury trash

On rural land it can be tempting to burn trash or bury it out of sight. Both cause real harm.

• Burning household trash in a barrel or pile makes harmful pollutants, such as dioxins. It releases them at ground level, where people breathe them (EPA). Many states and towns ban or limit it.
• Never burn trash, painted wood or plastic in a wood stove. It harms indoor air, damages the stove and chimney, and can add to creosote (EPA Burn Wise).
• Buried trash can leach chemicals into soil and groundwater, close to your own well.

Check local rules. Many places also limit burning yard waste in dry or windy weather.

Where does it go?

Buying less

The cheapest way to handle waste is not to make it.

• Plan purchases. A list cuts both impulse buys and extra trips to town.
• Buy in bulk where you have dry, rodent-proof storage. Less packaging, fewer trips.
• Choose durable and repairable tools, clothes and gear, even if they cost more up front.
• Share and borrow. Neighbors often own the tool you need once a year.

Check

Summary

• Rural trash costs money, fuel and time, so treat it as part of your budget.
• The waste hierarchy: reduce, reuse, recycle and compost, then dispose.
• Keep household hazardous waste out of the trash, the ground and the septic system.
• Do not burn or bury trash. Never burn trash or plastic in a wood stove.

Next, you will put everything together into a year-one plan and budget.