One of the things that I find fascinating around here is the garbage transfer station.  Perhaps it’s coming from Portland where it’s all orderly, environmental and prescribed (and I still miss my weekly compost and recycling pick up with garbage only every other week) and trips to the dump there are costly and also….orderly.

Not so here. Living outside of city-center (where they may very well have curbside pick up), we have unfettered access to a garbage transfer station. I suppose everyone does, since it’s just a parking lot on the side of a main road with gates that just tend to be always open. It is a vast space with dozens of dumpsters, with messages merely telling us to keep toxic chemicals out of them.

One side of the lot has the biggest dumpsters for various yard waste.

In one corner is a covered area that asks folks to leave reusable garbage — functioning much like the curb did in Portland, where you can deposit unwanted furniture and other household goods to be picked up by someone willing to re-house it.  On occasions I have checked it out, though never recovered any of the questionable goods.  My favorite was an outhouse toilet set up; hope it found a good home!

And then there are the people. There are always people here. This is why it has taken me a while to get pictures, as I don’t want to put anyone on the spot while they search through the dumpsters.  Though there is no recycling available at this site (you have to go to a private market recycler) I’d guess anything and everything that is able to get re-used or sold does. People go through the dumpsters and extract…everything.  People forage for wood and metal and I’m sure anything a person could imagine.  And it’s not just the expected folks you’d think of doing this, it seems to be a pastime that many occupy.  In an expensive place like Alaska, I suppose if you can save some money for your project by gathering what others aren’t using — all the better.  In any case, it’s the people that make this place fascinating to me.  And why I never hesitate to be the one to make the trip down the road to throw away the garbage.

OH — also, the ravens. “Alaska’s Tricksters” are often around doing their own scavenging.  They are huge and apparently quite smart.

PS – the skies were also pretty on this drive to the dump!