Getting Our Hands on a Composter: Parts 1 through 5.

As I start to get to grips with the garden, it's obvious that there's going to be a vast amount of "green garbage" to deal with. And, like all households, we produce a large amount of potential compost in the form of onion skins, orange peels and so on. At times I've contributed to others' compost piles but lately (blush, blush) I've been throwing most of it in the bin. 

   

Part 1: In which we read about the availability of composters.

Judge our delight when the periodic village newsletter came around with the news that all anyone wanting a composter had to do was to go to the mairie and ask for the correct form.

Part 2: In which I go to the mairie.

I spoke to Chantal (the mayor's right hand), made my request and left with a bright green form to fill out. 

Part 3: In which we make Important Decisions and complete the paperwork.

Opting for the larger composter--a steal at 10 euros--we filled out the form which had to be taken to the office of the Communauté de Communes (a local organization) in Mirepoix. Meanwhile, our new neighbours, Bea and David, had also filled out a form which I volunteered to take along with ours. P.S. Theirs was a white form. This should have told me that something was amiss.

Part 4: In which I go to the Communauté de Communes.

The man who deals with these things was en vacances. The man standing in for him dealt with great speed with Bea and David's form, giving me a handsome dark green lidded bucket for kitchen use, a very large carrybag, and an instruction book. 

All for them. 

All I got was a promise that the white form would soon be in the post to us. And the information that, once we get the form, we have to come back to the C de C where we will be given a piece of paper that we can take to Gamm Vert to receive our composter. We will also be given an invoice for the requisite euros which we must pay to the Tresor Public. 

Part 5: The return visit to the Communauté de Communes one week later. 

The white form didn't arrive so, in Mirepoix for the market, I trotted off to the C de C for the second time to meet the man who deals with these things. He told me that he was saving up the green forms (and showed me a bundle as proof) before taking the next step because it saved money on composters. I haven't quite figured this out. Something may have got lost in translation. He assured me that our white form will soon be in the post.