To the editor:
Two new Marblehead dump barrels were left in front of our house today: one black for trash and the other blue for recycling. So far, so good.
But, it was surprising how big they are. They are monstrous, heavy, unwieldy, and look like they could hold a full month’s worth of trash.
Did they have to be so big? Just moving them (empty) into my yard was an effort. What is it going to be like when they are full, and oldies like me, or anyone, will need to muscle and navigate them from various places on our properties out to the street for pickup?
With that in mind, if one (me) doesn’t have a garage, where can these colossals be stored? Even if you have a normal, just-fit, one-car or even two-car garage, good for rakes, shovels and bikes, and plan on storing the barrels there, pretty much say good-bye to parking inside.
So, now I have my two receptacles inside my back yard, too big to fit under my porch. But, it will be fun looking at them out of the kitchen window over breakfast, as it will be for my neighbors, too. Oh well, they will be fun playthings when the grandchildren come to visit, or good for quick trash disposal when we have guests over to barbeque.
No wait, a better idea would be to place them in front of the house for us to pass by every time when entering and leaving, and they would be “chic” yard art for neighbors, and all that drive by to enjoy and critique?
If that is the favored choice of many, won’t the visitors who visit Marblehead be taken back by the attractive additions to our historical landscape’s ambiance and beauty?
But wait, that may not be possible in “Old Town,” because many businesses and residences don’t have garages, back yards big enough to house a whirligig, or frontage other than a sidewalk. The only reasonable solution I can see is to keep the barrels inside — preferably in one of the biggest rooms; living room or dining room.
What were the planners of this effort to streamline the trash service and save taxpayers’ some money, ever thinking?
Just speculating, with the thousands of households and buildings in town, maybe the planners could have convinced the vendor to provide a custom, somewhat smaller mold for the job.
Seriously, those are just some random thoughts that struck me when I first saw the barrels out front. The design, size and random logistical questions above may have some excellent answers.
Doesn’t someone need to explain to the public what was the thought process/reasons for choosing a solution to a trash problem that has, most likely, created other objectionable special, physical and esthetic issues?
Will someone who knows please offer some understandable answers?
Jody Magee
Guernsey Street
