D.O.P.-T.

[weofodthignen]

Yesterday on walkies I spotted one of the plastic modular compost containers that the city sells, left at the curb free for the taking; with the assistance of the housemate and the car, I grabbed it, and we now have two side by side, both with the lids on properly. The other one is in excellent shape, possibly near-new, while our old one has been chewed through in a few places.

Comments

[ravan]

San Jose doesn't give those out free, you have to buy them.

That's a good find.

[weofodthignen]

Yes, it is. If I remember correctly, and I suck at remembering numbers, the composting workshop was free but the housemate had to pay $20 or $30 for the compost container. Maybe 10 years ago. I felt a bit guilty, and I do know of 2 households in the neighborhood that still do a bit of urban farming, but chances are high that the people who put the container out either have a yard service that declines to use the client's compost container or are expanding the house in the back/ripping out the yard for xeriscaping and just don't need one. We're probably at the high end both for yard trimmings and for composting food leftovers, especially since the city required us all to put food waste in a separate trashcan compartment; most households that do that probably mix the few vegetable peelings and fruit skins in with the meat and dairy stuff.

The parade of startlingly good stuff at curbside, usually with "FREE!" signs on it, resumed as soon as the lockdown eased. With the compost container was a nice little bookshelf. One local church thrift store closed a few years ago, the other accepted drop-offs at a dedicated mall storefront but with COVID, who knows, and you had to have an appointment. When the city stopped the twice a year bulk pickups it was a disaster for recycling; many of us in the neighborhood treated them as a swap meet, and a few people with trucks picked up furniture and appliances to sell them, and the trash haulers had far less to take away. But that change was a while ago when there were more people personally gardening and more yards still the original size and still with a fruit tree. This is the first time I've seen one of these at the curb.