I just signed up for our local curbside recycling program (privately run - the city can't afford to start one up, apparently). We used to take our newspapers to drop off points (what I'm not composting, anyways). Our bi-weekly pick-up starts next Wednesday, and our new bins (3) were dropped off on Monday. Now we'll be recycling a bunch of stuff. Paper bin: Newspaper, junk mail, catalogs, magazines, office-type papers, shredded paper. Aluminum bin: Aluminum and steel cans. Does anyone know what the lids on frozen juice concentrate containers are made of? Plastics bin: Any plastics with a screw-on lid. It used to be only #1 and #2, but she said they recently changed that, and now anything with a threaded top can be recycled (exciting, since that includes prescription bottles - I asked)! They'll also take plastic grocery bags, but I don't ever have those around anymore. And they'll take corrogated cardboard, broken down. No boxboard, but I'm composting that anyways, as with most of my cardboard, but it's good to know they'll take broken down boxes if I need them too. We don't have glass recycling yet, but the recycling company owner is trying to put enough money together to build a glass-crushing plant just outside our city. That would be great, I think. For now though, my mom takes our glass bottles - she has a kiln for her stained glass hobby, and she flattens the bottles into bread/cheese trays to sell at craft shows (with attached cheese spreaders). They work great as trivets too - I have several. :-) Most recently I heard that the city is looking at a contract with our local gas company to possibly use the methane from the landfill to produce energy. A step in the right direction, I think...if it's going to be there, we might as well figure out how to use it for "good". Between composting and recycling, the amount of stuff we actually throw into the "landfill" dumpster now is much less than it used to be (one 13 gallon bag per week, most of the time not even full).

You need to encase them in something or the inks on computer print outs will fade (And they may anyway, as computer inks are comparatively transient). You can buy protective containers to encapsulate paper stuff. If you're under time pressure, at the very least take a Sharpie write a message about yourself, the world, the weather today, who lives in your house now, even the names of the carpenter and the cost of the work. I was painting my house in Virginia on the morning and afternoon of Sept 11th, so I wrote a bit about that awful day and what was worrying us all high up behind a shelf in a closet. It helped a bit to leave some small record, and maybe someday it will be interesting when someone finds what I wrote. I always leave little notes when ever I make a change in my 160 + y.o. house, with names, dates, reason for project, and often costs. I know I would be thrilled to pieces to find this kind of evidence, so it's the least I can do! Molly~

Oh, yes, the Computer Help forum has saved me many times, and it is so easy to google something we are questioning...I'm amazed how much has developed just since I got my first machine, twelve years ago. Any time I need to find out how to cook something, I know I can find it, etc. I cannot imagine life without a computer....this week I have booked a flight to FLA, bought computer ink, makeup and my car license plates all without leaving my chair!

Scanning and printing off on your computer is the easist / Cheapest way to do this. A lot of people say that they don't like to use the ink from a computer printer because it is not color fast, but unless you plan on spilling water all over your pages or leaving them in direct sun for days on end the computer ink from a printer is fine. Remember to use acid free paper in the printer though. Penny