14 September 2008

Who needs to go to the tip when you have a nature strip?

| Kramer
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While I’ve found living on the main street in my suburb is a little noisy at times, I’ve also found that with the increased traffic and nice wide nature strip you can dispose of virtually anything.

Last year I emptied my old wood shed (as I no longer have a fireplace), and dumped all of the old logs on the nature strip.

Late in the evening we put up a sign “Free Firewood”, by the time I got home from work the next day every scrap was magically gone.

Over the last week I pulled down my old wood shed, carport, hills hoist, and an old wrought iron gate (to make way for the mega-garage), and on Friday evening stacked all of the old steel on the nature strip for the scrap metal guys to collect on Monday.

Over Saturday I had had heaps of people inquiring about the scrap metal stacked out the front, and told them they can take what they like.

As of Sunday morning there are only a few miniscule scraps of steel left for the guys to collect tomorrow. Who would pay $16 a trailer load at the tip when you can get rid of garbage for free?

Time for a beer…

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Ironically ensuring that you used a lot more fuel getting rid of it, instead of your waste being moved in bulk with many others to exactly the same place…

I thought old timber could be chipped up for low grade wood chips.

BTW – also found last week that if you have concrete, bricks, roof tiles, or clean fill to dispose of, don’t go to the tip (does anyone actually say “Waste Management Centre”?) and pay $60 a ton. I nearly did this, but then found out about Canberra Concrete Recyclers out near the airport, and paid $6.60 (yes, 10% of the original cost) to get rid of a ton of concrete.

I thought all Canberra nature/median strips were designated parking places!

Loquaciousness10:17 am 15 Sep 08

Loquaciousness said :

Why not join the Canberra Freecycling group?

Forgot to mention the rest – you can also pick up some really good stuff (we scored a freezer only last weekend, and it only cost us the fuel to go get it), and place wanted ads for things you’re looking for. The nature strip won’t offer you that now!

L

Loquaciousness10:06 am 15 Sep 08

Whatsup said :

It’s a good idea, however, your email will be flooded with stuff.

Only if you choose that option. You can set it up so there is no emails and you need to view the posts on screen.

I set mine up with a different email address, and filter it all with gmail. That said, the volume isn’t terrible (but then, my idea of volume probably differs from everyone else’s).

L

For stuff that you otherwise can’t get rid off for free i’m told that if you put a for sale sign on it with a token amount, its more likely to get stolen & thus giving the result you were after in the first place.

It’s a good idea, however, your email will be flooded with stuff.

Only if you choose that option. You can set it up so there is no emails and you need to view the posts on screen.

Loquaciousness8:46 am 15 Sep 08

Why not join the Canberra Freecycling group?

That way, all you have to do is send an email, and someone comes out to your house, picks up your stuff and drives away. You don’t even have to lug it out to the nature strip then!

L

GottaLoveCanberra1:36 am 15 Sep 08

Pass it (with nails of course) out to use as batons for when we storm the Basti……er….City Hall.

I cannot find any use for the recycled timber products of the modern world. They cannot be burnt, recycled. or turned into any useful product. They are a cost if taken to the tip.

I have a stock of this rubbish, and would love to find a use for it.

It would make a lot of sense to expand this into something on-going. Stuff like that IS useful, and having to go rootle through Revolve or whoever is all very well, but seeing it on the side of the road for the taking is even better.

A lot of really good stuff gets thrown away.

Good story, except this bit: “…when you can get rid of garbage for free?” If it disappears like that it’s clearly not ‘garbage’ since it can be reused or recycled and thus has value.

My point – it’s about time we really think about what is garbage and what is not and behave accordingly. If we really treated our waste stream properly, there would be very little garbage to despoil the land.

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