Have I mentioned how amazing this trip has been? Have I mentioned how much I’m learning? Have I mentioned how hospitable small town America is? As an aside from food waste and compost, I will take that opportunity right now.
We got to Milford (population 1,451) last night after a long, hot day in the Utah...desert? Actually, deserts usually have some sort of shrubbery, and some living things. Yesterday’s vegetation was nonexistent; we essentially traversed dirt. Not a great first impression to the great state of Utah. The day got better, however, when we arrived in Milford.
We happened upon an LDS church (one of several in town, welcome to Utah) hoping to find a floor to sleep on. While wandering the hallways seeking a person with whom to speak, we ran into the church’s bishop, Bishop Barnes. After explaining our situation, he said that as a last resort we could set up camp on the floor, but that he had a better option. His niece, Janet Russell, happens to own one of the two motels in town. Not only did she put us up in the nicest one in town, but also provided us with a delicious breakfast at the diner the next morning. We were incredibly thankful for Janet’s generosity; it’s really amazing how responsive people have been to the Face Aids cause and bike ride.
After breakfast, I went to the city government offices, where I spoke with Makayla, a secretary. She told me about the landfill outside of town, as well as the recycling program that the local high school implemented in the past year. Milford has no recycling collection program, but residents have the option to bring their recyclables to receptacles at the back of the high school for drop-off. She gave me the brochure that the high school put out, outlining those materials that can be recycled and those that cannot, such as oil-saturated pizza boxes. Aha, that’s where a compost program would be beneficial. It is cool, however, to see the motivation to implement a recycling program in such a small town.
When I asked about food waste, Makayla told me that she didn’t have a lot of food waste. She went on to explain that what little she did throw away, she disposed of through the garbage disposal. She puts greasy foods into the trash.
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