By Heather Gates

Monona residents: as we begin automated trash service starting on January 1, our old trash cans will be obsolete for their original purpose. But that doesn’t mean we can’t use them for other purposes.

Although the city is making a dumpster available for us to dispose of our old cans, please consider forgoing that route. Instead of sending thousands of cans to the landfill, there are many ways to reuse your trash can. Useful things can be made out of an old trash can, from a rain barrel to simple storage container. And, one can even make art! (See a great example here: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/X57LyWhXIEnss1vGJ-ajww.)

Always clean the can before using it for something else, but then, consider these uses:

• To collect rainwater. I have a homemade rain barrel made from a trash can. It is not “street-friendly,” meaning it’s pretty ugly and I wouldn’t want it on the front of my home. But I have mine tucked away on the side of my garage where it doesn’t get seen very often. There are many methods for creating a barrel from a trash can—a Google search returned more than one million hits—and they range from simply putting the open can under a downspout to elaborate systems with plumbing and pumps. For a fairly easy method, check out the instructions on this website: http://www.chasinggreen.org/article/10-steps-do-it-yourself-diy-rain-barrel/.
• To store compost, sand, mulch, leaves, or potting soil for use in your garden. If your old can has wheels, you can even haul these materials around your yard to where you need to use them.
• To store long-handled garden tools, such as brooms, rakes, and shovels.
• To temporarily store excess trash or recycling. If you have a big party, a large number of visitors, or other unusual event that increases your trash output, store it in your old trash can until room is freed up in the your cart.
• To store items to take to Clean Sweep in the spring. (Clean Sweep is a place to take hazardous household materials that should not be put in with regular trash. Items such as oil-based paints, paint-related products, pesticides, poisons, household products containing organic solvents, items that ignite, aerosols, and rechargeable batteries can be taken to Clean Sweep from May 1 through October 31. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Location: 2302 Fish Hatchery Road.)
• To grow potatoes! For a simple and small-scale vegetable garden project, you can grow potatoes vertically. See this website for more details: http://backyardfarming.blogspot.com/2008/01/backyard-potatoes.html.

You can also offer your trash can to someone else who is willing to use it for the above purposes or others. You may find eager recipients on Madison Stuff Exchange or Craigslist, or just by asking your friends. Remember, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure!