Invasion of the Recycling Bins

I had to open both doors to the powder room, but the 48-gallon recycling bin did indeed fit in it. Sorta. / Photo by Nancy McKeon.

Lifting the recycling bin up allowed more floor space but did interfere with one of the basic functions of a powder room (plenty of room to wash your hands, though). / Photo by Nancy McKeon.

Maybe tucking it in behind the door to the basement would work. Maybe not. / Photo by Nancy McKeon.

Top of the stairs? Not really. / Photo by Nancy McKeon.

Well, as long as JAD and Michelle don’t open their front door . . . / Photo by Nancy McKeon.

Ah, here’s the answer: Give it pride of place in the dining area. And, as my colleague Michael Cavna pointed out, if I can get four of them I’ll have a whole dinette set! / Photo by Nancy McKeon.

O! RECYCLING BIN, How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Or rather, How do I store thee in or around a small D.C. row house? Let me give it a try. Maybe several.

Yes, my problem seems silly. But it didn’t seem so silly last week when my neighbors and I came home to find two enormous plastic, uh, things blocking our front steps. We knew they were coming sometime this year–D.C. had announced that over the course of the spring it would be replacing our 12-year-old trash cans and teeny recycling crates. But some of us didn’t realize how big a 48-gallon recycling bin is (the city was wise not to aim the 64-gallon version at us). Next to the recycling bin, the trash bin is a mere stripling at 32 gallons. The good news is they both have wheels.

My neighbors peppered the D.C. Department of Public Works with squeals of “Where am I supposed to put this thing?” (my own thought was that it was as big as my powder room, and now I have a photo to prove it!), and the DPW offered residents the option of keeping their scuffed old, more modestly sized bins. But I thought the new bins–especially the gigantesque recycling thingie–deserved more consideration. Pictured here are my attempts (okay, fanciful attempts) at making the recycling bin feel at home in my home.

–Nancy McKeon