Our Landfill
by Jen Shenk
**FREE SHED now closes 30 minutes before closing time**
When we first moved into town, my husband came home from the landfill and said 'You won't believe it. There's a guy up there playing an acordian in an empty trailer truck box and there are two beautiful women working in the recycling area'. I had to check this out. Over the years I've become friends with both of the women, Heather Billings and Chris Haley, and laugh that the first time I met both of them was at the Landfill.
There have been changes to the Landfill in the 12 years we've been in town, including the separation of Westminster and Fitchburg into our own dumping areas (something I never did understand). The recycling station is now manned by agency temps who aren't beautiful women, or even women at all. But one thing amazes me (and it may amaze my friends that I'm able to keep my mouth shut about this when I see it happening). It's when people throw totally decent household items, books, sports equipment and toys right into the trash.
Over in the far corner near the recycling, away from the dumpsters is a Swap Shed. A few of my best finds in the Swap Shed...a brand new pair of Clarks clogs in my size, still in the box (normally upwards of $60), an X-Box (within 6 months of X-Boxes coming out) with controllers and several games. I've gotten ski bags, board games, books, and so much more. On the flip side, I've put so many things in that we no longer need. It's the epitome of 'one man's trash is another man's treasure'. The Swap Shed is also a fabulous resource for when your 20-something gets their first apartment. It doesn't take too many trips up there to get everything from wall hangings to storage crates and more. Just yesterday I got a bright pink self-adjusting clock radio that you can attach an iPod to. Can't argue with that. Maybe the previous owner wasn't aware of daylight savings time and the clock seemed to be off an hour. I don't know, but I grabbed it. So, it's frustrating for me to see people throwing decent items in the trash. So much so that I'm willing to tell others about the Swap Shed in the hopes of more people using it for giving and getting.