Out here...

Chairs from recycled plastic

...in East Gish or Levant we have just started single stream recycling, that's a fancy term for putting all your eggs in one basket.  The eggs in this case are all of your recyclables, plastic, paper, cardboard, cans - that's what the eggs are.  Before this we had to separate it all, and the only plastic you could recycle was #2!  Now all plastic (1-9) can go to recycling heaven.

  So what becomes of all this "trash" you ask; well those pretty chairs up there (for sale at Lowes) used to be milk bottles or other number two plastic.  They also build "lumber" for decks, or other outside uses.  Glass (mostly bottles) became floor tiles, counter tops, jewelry and about 100 more uses.  Porcelain (your old toilet) goes into the roads you drive on.  Metal is reused in many, many ways - you saw some right here yesterday.

  So the people of East Gish (Levant) are happy, well...at least those of us that bother to recycle, there should be more, are happy.  But if the recycling rate doesn't increase then, then, then the Town will go to the dreaded "pay per bag".  People really fight that.  Pay per bag is simple to explain; you go to the Town Office or a store and buy trash bags for fifty cents, or a dollar, and what you don't recycle goes in the the paid in advance for trash bags - then the rate of recycle rate will increase, hopefully.  But the consequences could very well be trash dumped in the woods, or roadside; some people would take their trash to town and put it in other peoples dumpsters - yes, yes it's been known to happen - or dispose of trash in some other way.

  So, there you have it, Maine Recycles (or does it),  the Geezer and his wife have recycled for a long time, about 15 years.  We save up our stuff and drive to the recycle center in Bangor, unload it at each bin and done, now we just put it in a special trash can on wheels and haul it to the roadside once a month.

Counter top made of recycled glass.

Plastic "lumber"

How different bottles make up colors for tiles.

Dither, Dilly-Dally and Decide

Empty pockets, empty head

  There are times when I just can't decide what to write about, there are times I write that are a pain in the butt and there are times that are pure joy; the latter fits about 94 percent of the time.
  I'd like to write today, or more today, but choosing a topic has put me in a fix.  Should I continue to bash Congress, maybe.  But, Congress may have made some progress, late last night McConnell and Obama along with Biden and Reid seem to have invented a new chart of accounts.  That in itself is quite a task, especially when you don't know what you're doing.  I think it's a damned good idea that they have a staff that's at least educated, and at most able to pull things together in a way their bosses can vaguely understand - that's how things get done in Washington.
  I could write about my recent experience of Taiwan/Formosa; had a thing going on in my head while driving on a ride with my wife.  Distracted driving didn't quite happen; okay, well maybe half my brain was distracted; but, it was the other half driving.  We passed a souvenir stand someplace, Stockton Springs maybe, and Linda remarked that probably most of the stuff they had was from China - and she was right.  I, on the other hand, started this whole story about the things were from Taiwan.  Then I got into Taiwan used to be called Formosa; and how my Uncle Alice married a woman from Formosa, Uncle Alice wore skirts and his "real" name was Avery.  He didn't wear kilts because he didn't look good in plaid, it made him look fat.  Do I look fat? The answer is always no.  Then of course the name "Formosa" must have been be early explorers and they named it for Mosa.  What do you think?
    So, you see, I can get carried away by the slightest things, for example:  Two nights ago I woke up and someone on the radio was singing (the term used loosely) "On the Sunny Side of the Street" badly.  Now I've had this song in my head for two days!
                                                                              If I don't have a cent
                                                                              I'll be rich as Rockefeller,
                                                                              gold dust at my feet -
                                                                              on the sunny side of the street.....
and on and on and on.  Yes I've looked up the lyrics, yes I've tried to learn the words! 
  Some of the oddest things get my attention, must be that inquiring minds want to know, or some such thing.
  So that how I arrive at what to write, just get some random thought and follow it up, try it, it works.

Proof that not everything you read is true.