Dumpster Diving

So on Post there is an area where the Americans take their trash and sort it into dumpsters based on what they are getting rid of. There are glass dumpsters (1 each for white (clear), green and brown glass), a dumpster for paper only, one for plastics, one for cardboard and one for anything else... Then there is an area where they put things that are not trash but either are no longer wanted, they are over their household goods shipping weight limit heading home and must either pay of offload a few things or they are 220 voltage appliances would be of no use back in the states. People put perfectly good appliances, slightly used furniture, garden tools, you name it out here for others to pick and use...I relate this area to a consolidated big trash day back in Oklahoma, you put your discards out by the road and what is left 3 days later the city comes and hauls off. I think most of the stuff on Big Trash Day gets picked up by neighbors and flea market retailers and this keeps these items out of the landfills and saves the city money in pick and disposal costs.

So back to the Germany on Post version. This winter rescued 4 perfectly good ladder back, cane bottom chairs and will put these on my back porch this spring. And this weekend I found a 2 drawer bedside table. It was a sturdy table (good bones) but it had a couple of kid stickers on it and “Kristin” had practiced writing her name in a few places on the top surface in pink and blue ink. I soaked off the stickers and thought about painting it but the stickers gave me an idea. I had collected several sacks full of pamphlet of things to do in Germany and so I cut out pictures, maps, overviews of areas and have used these to decorate the drawer fronts and top (covering Kristin’s first attempts at writing her name). It is looking pretty good! I bought some varnish for sealing that I will use after I get everything in place. I think this wil go in the guest bedroom once finished. When we head home we will probably take a few item and leave them for the new comers, but I plan on taking this “treasure” with me as a memento of our journey!

bedside tabe - free
pamphlets from around town - free
paint brush and varnish - 11.95
Memory Table - Priceless!


Pictures to follow~