That’s a lot of trash
Even out here in the mountains we need trash removal, after all who wants a bag full of leftovers steaming in the sun for weeks on end? Tuesday is our day and we have missed that day twice this year (and had our can stolen by a bear) and each time it was such a pain to wait an additional week. What was marinating in that can for a week certainly could not wait for two weeks and our noses told the story. I can only imagine someone who lived in the south where the extreme heat and humidity were factors, talk about foul.
I’ll get to the bear stealing our trash can in the summary but the other bits about trash removal got me thinking, especially in a post SHTF environment where there will be no key services to be had. What then to do with all the waste because despite one’s best efforts, there will be waste. I’ve outlined a few courses of action below and even if your plan does not involve one of them it’s good to at least ponder this sort of thing.
Reduce Waste Overall
This will be a huge one and a little easier to do since runs to the local grocery store won’t be happening 2 to 3 times a week. There will be less waste overall, folks will be through with their perishables for the most part and on to canned or storage food, or harvesting what their animals can provide. I also suspect tossing that 2 day old Tupperware container of spaghetti out just because “I didn’t feel like eating it” will not be a thing in a world where every calorie counts.
Composting
We do not compost but we know folks who do. For more information on this process click here. While it appears to be a good method I don’t believe it covers all aspects (or does it, let me know below) of accounting for waste.
Burning Trash
A big no go up here where we live but if you have 50 acres out in the Midwest and wildfire is not a factor, it could be an option. One thing to consider would be the huge smoke signature that would be visible, probably for miles. Also burn pits in general can get dicey, depending on what is down in that hole.
Burying Trash
I think this is a great option if one has the capacity to dig a large enough hole, that and deep enough. It would be tough where I live has there is a lot of rock under the surface but it could be done. It’s effective but only as good as the math for the amount of trash produced aligns with the size of the hole over time. That and this could be quite labor intensive as continuing to cover it up to keep flies and animals out of it would be a constant chore.
The Bottom Line
Every week, despite our best efforts two of us fill up a 95 gallon trash container with bags and cardboard or whatever. We know folks up the road that have two families living in one home, they fill up FOUR 95 gallon containers every week. The trash situation and the potential for things to “pile up” is real in a post SHTF environment. Have you considered what you will do? Let me know your thoughts.
Lastly – the bear. We put a “bear proof” trash can outside the night before trash day once because we had to leave, typically we don’t do this because of bears but hey, the trash can is bear proof. Joke was on us. Bear took the entire can down the mountain somewhere, I walked and hiked and searched…gone. I wonder if he ever got it open…
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