LANDFILL

TRASH: Debris, Dreck, Dregs, Droppings, Dross, Excess, Filth, Fragments, Junk, Leavings, Litter, Offal, Pieces, Refuse, Residue, Rubbish, Rubble, Rummage, Scourings, Scrap, Scraps, Scum, Sediment, Shavings, Slag, Sweepings, Waste

That certainly sums it up.

We have been making several trips throughout the summer to our local landfill because of various construction and house cleaning projects. I always make a point to go along. There is something about the landfill that is rather fascinating to me. Yes, it's dirty, it's usually dusty, there are flies, it doesn't smell particularly pleasant and it's not a pretty sight. So, what is the fascination?

I think it starts way back. When I was still growing up, our family was not exactly sitting on a pot of gold. This situation changed many years later when my Dad started a successful business. I was no longer living at home by that time.

I remember visiting the local Goodwill for my first set of skis here in Colorado. They were wooden, as were the poles and the boots were leather. Of course this was some time ago and I think wooden skis were more common back then. I also remember going with my Dad to the junk yard a couple of times to get me a car when I was old enough to drive. I wish I had both of them today, they would be worth something now. One was a tiny Peugeot and the other was a little Renault with a sliding sunroof. Dad fixed them up and I drove them for as long as they lasted. I remember I had to carry water with me for the Peugeot as it sometimes overheated. This particular car also had red and white leather seats and an itty bitty shifter on the floor. It was like shifting a toothpick. On another occasion, I remember personally scavenging in a small landfill area next to an apartment complex we lived in for awhile where I found a nice dish drainer that I proudly presented to my mother.

All of this is to say that I have no aversion to used things. I actually have some fond memories associated with used things and landfills are filled with used things that are considered trash. It's pretty interesting to see what people are throwing away.

Merle and I loaded up our latest group of landfill fodder that included an old utility sink we replaced, a barely working Kitchen Aid dishwasher from the 1970's, also replaced, a wooden ladder that should have been discarded a couple of years ago, but Merle continued to teeter atop it until I insisted we buy a nice aluminum one, a big box of construction debris left from work being done at the house, an ugly clay pot and some kerosene.

There are a couple of other things that I think are very interesting about landfills. One is the huge pieces of equipment that scoop, smash, drive over and generally subdue and then bury the immense trash mound. I've always thought it would be fun to drive one of those monsters as long as I was able to sit in an air conditioned cab listening to music while the dirty air swirled around inches away but unable to touch me. The other is the seagulls that hang out at the landfill. They, along with a few crows, scavenge the piles of trash and it must be a successful venture, because they are always there.

The whole scene is so "Mad Max" -like. Which, in turn, brings to mind "The Burning Man Project"- check it out.