We have a typical suburban house in the middle of a typical suburban lot. Most of the area is covered with grass, but over the 20 years we've lived here I've dug up several areas for landscaping and garden beds. Every time I do a project in the yard, I run into rocks. Most of it is the crushed rock that would be laid as a bed under a concrete slab, even in areas in the far corners of the yard that aren't close to the concrete.
I don't want to throw the rocks in the trashcan, so I put them in an old plastic flowerpot under the deck. When I accumulate enough (about once a year) I figure out a way to get rid of them, usually by tossing them in a nearby creek. I've been waiting for the right time to do Project Rock Disposal 2011, and today was it.
This year I had a bonus crop of rocks to dispose of. We had a French drain put in the back yard this summer to divert rainwater water from our downspout to the sewer in the back. For several days after the work was completed I went outside and picked up handfuls of rocks from the area that had been dug up. There were four flowerpots (three one-gallon models and a five-gallon one) lined up underneath the deck steps. I put them all in a milk crate; when I picked the crate up to carry it to the car it felt like there were about 25 pounds of rocks.
Son Donald came with me to help. There are several different places close to the house that I can access the creek. I always pick my site carefully. Even though I don't think it's illegal to get rid of the rocks there, if someone saw me they might wonder what I'm doing. The parking lot at the first place we tried was blocked, so I headed towards a second area. There was no problem getting close to this one. I parked the car, looked around to see if anyone was watching, then Donald and I each grabbed pots from the car, walked over to the side of the creek, and dumped. The whole project took less than 30 seconds.
As wee got in the car and drove away, for some reason the theme song to the movie The Great Escape was playing in my head.
I wouldn't think you're doing any harm to the environment, lol!
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