Let your fingers
do the dumping

---

Even though a free service is just a phone call away, some people refuse to take advantage of it. Instead, they dump appliances, sofas, mattresses and such at random, marring our island beauty.

The logic of loading an old washing machine into a truck and driving off in search of a place to dump it -- in the woods, along the side of the road, in a vacant lot, on the road leading to the dump -- is beyond me, especially when help is readily available.

Many charities will pick up working or even non-working appliances, so check them out first. You can fill a few bags with unneeded clothing, bedding, kitchen utensils and furnishings to make their trip worthwhile.

If the item is so old or damaged that no charity wants it, just call the city's bulky-item pickup service. Look on page 32 of the phone book for the number serving your area. All you have to do is put the item at the curb on the designated day, and it will disappear.

--Charlotte Phillips

---