Recycled
Page 8
And what about Paddy? Well, Paddy’s doing okay, actually. I saw him last week-end.
I hadn’t seen him for ages and I was feeling guilty. My bottle collection had come to an almighty standstill and I missed Paddy a lot. Anyway, I’d been putting off visiting because I dreaded seeing him stuck there at the Grabmore Landfill – unhappy in his work. It was never going to be his scene, I knew that.
But, hey, I was in for a big surprise.
Dad and I drove over to Grabmore last Saturday expecting to see Paddy looking all forlorn, driving some rubbish-burying contraption about the place. But he wasn’t. In fact, his old caravan was parked right in the middle of the Grabmore place AND it had had a paint job. It was now a bright glossy green with large red letters that said “Recycling Information Centre”. Awesome!
And there was Paddy sorting through a bag of second-hand clothes. I could spot that denim cap of his a mile off. He looked much the same really, maybe even a bit smarter. To be honest he looked happy and very pleased to see us.
“About time I had a visit from you two,” he said, holding up a pair of new looking jeans. “What kept you so long?”
Dad looked over at me and shrugged his shoulders.
“I’ve got a whole heap of bottles for you in the van. You’re lucky I haven’t given them to someone else.”
“So what’s all this then?” asked Dad. “Looks just like the old place.”
“Yep,” said Paddy, “It’s getting there. Ain’t never going to be quite like the Rubbish Rescue Centre, but it’s coming along okay.” He put the jeans down and stepped closer.
“Yep. It’s taken a while for people to get used to the idea but business is building up. There’s a company in town interested in recycling paper products already. There’s also another outfit not far out of town that takes plastics. We had a meeting here a month back and the Council say I can keep going as long as I pay my way and pull my weight. The place is getting busier all the time and Gavin says if it keeps going like this he might even shout me a bigger caravan.”
“Gavin?” I said. “Who’s Gavin?”
“Gavin Sparrow. The guy from the refuse department at the Council. You remember. Actually he’s been a great help. Get along like a house on fire these days. He’s quite a collector, you know. Has a couple of bottles you’d be interested in. Knows a bit about the violin, too. Anyway, it was his idea that I keep the recycling stuff going. Not quite as good as me own place but hey, it’s the next best thing.
“Well, enough about me. What’ve you guys been up to? Come in and have a cuppa. Do you still like milk, Col?”
It was just like old times.
I couldn’t get my head around the ‘Gavin’ part though. Who’d have thought G. Sparrow would be into bottle collecting? Just goes to show, aye.
We chatted away for a while. Dad told him how well his new business venture was going and I told him about the ‘SNUB’ campaign and Allie’s change of heart. There was a lot to catch up on, but pretty soon Paddy had to get back to work.
Dad and I were just about to leave when Paddy said “Hey, Col, you never told me about tipping dog poo and grass clippings all over Gavin Sparrow’s office floor.”
I could feel Dad frowning beside me. Paddy giggled.
“What a hoot that must have been. Old Gavin still laughs about it. You must have made quite an impression.”
And you know what? Maybe I did.
Oh, and talking about ‘impressions’…
I bet you’re dying to know what happened with me and Lizzie.
Well, to be honest I think I misread the whole situation. I misjudged Lizzie. All that ignoring stuff I was telling you about, it wasn’t a game, it was the real thing. Turns out she really didn’t know I existed. I could have been dog poo on her shoe for all she cared. Well, I didn’t care any more either. I went off her after the protest day. I had more important things to care about.
She could flick that gorgeous black hair around all she liked – I wouldn’t bat an eye.
Well, not much.
COLIN’S WORM FARM INSTRUCTIONS
Worm farms are fun.
They also provide a self-contained composting system that recycles kitchen waste. To get started you’ll need a container, bedding and some worms.
THE CONTAINER:
You can use almost anything for a container. Things like wooden boxes, old drawers, plastic bins or crates all make great worm farms. The container should be about 20–40 cm deep and have a surface area of around 40 cm x 40 cm.
Worms need air to live so you’ll need to make some holes (about ten) in the bottom of the container for aeration and drainage. Also, to help the air to circulate you should raise the bin up on bricks or wooden blocks. The inside of the bin should be kept dark: cover the bin with some sacking or a sheet of black plastic, allowing the air to circulate.
Worm farms can either be kept inside (not in your bedroom!) or outside.
Sheds, garages, patios and porches are good places to try. Don’t leave your worm farm in full sun or the worms will get too hot.
THE BEDDING:
Fill your bin three quarters high with damp bedding. This is where the worms will both live and lay their eggs. Shredded moistened newspaper (torn into strips about 25 mm wide) is good for this. You can also try cardboard, straw, aged manure, compost or peat. Add a couple of handfuls of coarse sand or top soil to provide worms with grit which they can use to grind their food.
THE WORMS:
The best type of worms to go for are: Tiger Worms (Eisenia fetida) and Red Worms (Lumbricus rubellus). These types thrive on scraps and can eat their own weight in food every day. Given the right conditions the worm farm population will double every six weeks or so.
To get your first lot of worms, hunt around the compost heap, visit horse stables, or buy them from a worm farmer.
WORM FOOD:
Worms will eat most kitchen scraps. Things like fruit and vegetable peelings, tea bags, crushed egg shells, plate scrapings, bread scraps and crumbs are good. To stop your worm farm becoming sour and slimy add food regularly (chop it up into little pieces) in small amounts and sprinkle it with some garden lime once a month.
Within three to four months you will notice some exciting changes.
The bedding, along with the food waste will be gradually converted into worm manure (castings). It will look like a dark brown soil-like material.
Compost!
Now you can carefully remove the top layer with a fork (about 150 mm) to start off your next worm farm. The rest of the compost is ready to use.
Your finished worm compost can be used in potting mixes and for conditioning the soil in your flower or vegetable garden.
COLIN’S RECIPE FOR MAKING RECYCLED PAPER
You will need:
• paper
• water
• a bucket
• two rectangular wooden frames, one covered with wide wire mesh
• a piece of fine wire mesh
• an egg beater
• cardboard drying boards
• a large container
• a sponge
First of all, tear the paper into small pieces (about one square centimetre). When you have about five cupfuls, put them into a bucket, cover them with hot water and leave the mixture to soak overnight.
The next day you can beat the paper with the egg beater. Pour the pulpy mixture into a container, add about 10 cm of water and stir.
Now, place the fine wire mesh on top of the wide wire mesh frame and dunk them into the pulp mixture.
When you lift up the frames, a thin, even layer of pulp will be spread over the wire mesh. Drain the water off and take away the top frame. Then place a drying board on top of the fine mesh.
Now, turn everything over (very carefully) so the frame is on top of the drying board. Take away the other wooden frame and place the sponge on top of the mesh to remove extra water.
Peel the fine mesh off the paper and leave your rec
ycled paper to dry. When it has dried completely you can peel it off the drying board and it will be ready to use.
About the Author
Sandy McKay lives in Dunedin with her husband and three children. She left school at 17, worked for five years, then gained a BA in Political Studies from the University of Otago. After this, she opened her own fruit shop but quickly realised that lugging 20 kilogram bags of spuds wasn’t the best thing for her back. She then decided to become a mother. (All that weight training helped for this new role.) This is when she began to write.
She has published articles in several magazines, including a regular column for Kiwi Parent, and she is the author of a book on photography for children. Sandy says, “Although it feels as if my writing career took a while to get started, I believe that with energy and commitment, we can make our goals happen.” This is the kind of passion that drives her main character, Colin, to become an eco-warrior. He knows that good things take time.
Copyright
Published with the assistance of
First published by Longacre Press 2001
9 Dowling Street, Dunedin, New Zealand.
This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior permission of Longacre Press and the author.
© Sandy McKay
Sandy Mckay asserts her moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
Acknowledgements:
The information quoted at the beginning of chapters one to six, and the information for ‘Colin’s Recipe for Making Recycled Paper’ are from Many Happy Returns, by Brian Enting, published by Shortland Publications, 1995. The information quoted at the beginning of chapter 15 is from What a Load of Rubbish! by Steve Skidmore, published by Cassell Publishers Ltd, 1990. The information for ‘Colin’s Worm Farm Instructions’ are from a Dunedin City Council pamphlet called A Guide to Worm Composting.
All the characters depicted in this novel are fictional.
ISBN 9 781775531 37 1
Illustrations including cover by Jenna Packer
Book and cover design by Christine Buess
Printed by Australian Print Group