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Taking out the trash | pad patter 8.21.18

The kitchen bin is emptied daily and gets a fresh shopping bag every morning; that is something I do right after I make lunches. I take it out to the big 33 gallon garbage can in the garage. (The kids are instructed that all trash goes into this bin, especially the scraps that they bring with them when they get out the car. There is no excuse for leaving trash in the car when they are passing a big trash bin on the way to the door! They have lots of excuses for why they can't take their trash out of the car and none of them are acceptable because that trash can is Right There. LOL) When it is full, the bag is tied up and moved to the big blue bin that is compatible with the garbage trucks, given to us by the city a few years ago.

We also have a bin in the kitchen for recyclables. I don't have an intermediate bucket for that one -- it gets emptied directly into the second big blue recycling bin by whatever kid I happen to see when I notice it is full. I didn't like the old recycling tubs so I stopped using them as soon as they gave us these new lidded ones.

I know it's odd that I have an intermediate garbage can, but before the big blue bins, we would put out a single 33 gallon bag every week or so. We still use the garbage can and the bags -- I like having it to toss the daily trash into, plus for whatever take out cup I happen to have brought home with me in the car. Once it's tied up, I don't have to worry about the smaller trash falling out of the big bin (into my yard!) when it's picked up and dumped into the truck. We used to put only the bag out to the curb, and never had critter problems, and I think it was because my trash is basically always double bagged. I don't like trash bins left out all day and putting out just a bag meant I only had trash out until it got picked up. I'm not thrilled about the big blue bins sitting out all day, but at least *everybody* has one, and my mom has been bringing them in for us when she gets the kids off the bus, so they are only sitting out until mid afternoon or so. My husband puts them out to the road on normal garbage days, because he leaves before I do, and I will put them out if he forgets and for Saturday pickup (since I'm up on the weekend and he is not).
 
We are on the simple side. If the kitchen one is full, take it out to the trash bin outside. Doesn't matter who it is. DH brings it to the curb on garbage day. Whoever is home first, drags it up. Recycling is lined up off to the side by a kitchen wall, and gets taken out to the bin a lot, by anyone, though mostly which kid is nearby when I see it. :giggle
 
Daniel is 13 and in charge of the trash. He has alarms on his phone for the regular trash day and for the trash and recycle day to take the cans to the road. He has alarms for bringing the cans back to the house. He takes the trash out when he goes to move the cans, and on the trash and recycle day, he empties all the trash cans in the house (you know, bedrooms, bathrooms, den in addition to the kitchen), and then any time in between that the trash is full.
 
My husband travels frequently for work...so trash falls to me. The garbage cans are in the back of my house and have to be rolled around to the front of the house on garbage days; two of them -- recycle and trash. Then of course, rolled back later in the day. I hate it, but I need the trash and recycles picked up so I do it.
 
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