One Pile is Better Than Two

Back in the 60’s Arlo Guthrie wrote the song Alice’s Restaurant. It is a nineteen minute opus about a hippie that does a favor for his Thanksgiving dinner hosts. He hauls a load of garbage to the dump, only to find out that it is closed for the holiday. He drives by a trash-filled ravine on the way home and reasons that one large pile of garbage is better than two small ones. Since he cannot bring the existing pile up, he threw his pile down. He was later arrested for littering.

I was reminded of Arlo’s story last week when I was cutting wood near a power line road. I came upon a couple hauling a trailer full of slash (tree limbs). They advised that the power company had trimmed trees along the road and their plan was to dump their slash there and let the utility dispose of their debris. One pile was better than two.

Island Park has a slash dump north of the old Hungry Bear Store on Meadow Creek Road. Its hours are:

Tuesday and Thursday 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

Saturday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Trees, bushes and other plant material can be dropped off free of charge. The slash dump minimizes fire danger by allowing property owners to remove flammable debris. It also limits what gets dumped in the landfill, extending its life. In October, the slash pile is set on fire and the site is cleared for the following summer.

After offering the slash dump information to the couple, they decided that the county’s slash pile was the appropriate location to dump their debris. It was a much better outcome than Arlo’s.