My Own Private Garbage Disposal

Last year when the TMF moved in with me the composition of the house changed dramatically. My upstairs loft bedroom became a family room which meant we had to get the double boxspring and mattress that I miraculously got up the tricky staircase back down. Long story and frustrating afternoon aside, we were not able to get it back down. The only solution was to chop the boxspring so that we could bend it just enough to squeeze it out.

So this resulted in a boxspring I would never use again. Now what do I do with this thing? Taking it to the dump sounded like a huge hassle. I don't even know where a dump exists in or near Seattle. Donate it to Goodwill? Ugh. That would require some labor intensive transport of the thing. My brilliant solution was to set it out by the street with a free sign to see if it may be entising to a passerby.

I leaned it against a No Parking sign and left the house to meet up with a friend. I was on my way home a few hours later when I remembered the mattress and prayed to the dump diving gods that someone had taken it away. As I crested the steep hill that my house atop a joyful squeal filled my car - it was gone!!!

No trip to the dump required. No loading that thing on the top of my car... it was out of my life. Just like that.

This past weekend, after spending the entire summer talking about disposing of an old gas grill which no longer worked very well and was grimey with lamb fat and carmelized onions, I remembered my success with the mattress. I decided to press my luck and see if my front stoop really is a magical urban garbage disposal.

I set the grill out with a little sign "Free. Just needs cleaning."

Within 30 minutes it was gone.

Comments

[Mom]

You ladies are getting so creative with your "trash". Anything metal is worth money nowadays, but only if you have the means to take it to the recycling center. It's worth a good laugh for the day!

[JessD]

Man, can you imagine what that guy's house looks like?

[back in buffalo]

We have the "man in the blue truck" around here to collect all of our junk! He drives up and down the street every Monday evening looking for "treasure." A couple of weeks ago, he took my old furnace! He will soon be in the possession of an old moldy fridge as well!