The Missing Piece

I’m looking for a missing piece. When our dishwasher broke several years ago we had to order a replacement for the broken piece before the repair technician came out to install it. They sent two. (Pieces, not technicians.) It’s a plastic thing that helps hold up the top rack of the dishwasher. It broke on one side. So when the repairs were completed I still had one left.

Well, guess what? The same piece broke again. Our dishwasher is truly perfect in every way except this one little doohickey. It is the weakest link. They have made the top rack adjustable, which is a nifty feature, but the wear and tear on this one piece is obviously too much for it to bear. I need to have a top rack that is functional so I need to find that extra part before I try to have it repaired.

But where is it? Maybe it’s under the kitchen sink. Why don’t I pull everything out and see?

Dang. It’s not there, although everything else is. (Well, except the kitchen sink.) Clearly some of this stuff has been there forever and needs to go. But perhaps not all of it is safe to go down the drain or in the weekly trash pickup. Hmm…

Image from Howard County Government social media

Well, what do you know? It’s Howard County to the rescue! This Saturday they’re having one of their three “off season” Household Hazardous Waste drop off days at Alpha Ridge. Here’s what they’re taking:

Image from Howard County Government social media

This could substantially slim down the amount of items I need to put back under the sink. That’s a relief. But I’ve never dropped off household hazard waste before. Is there anything I need to know? Will I need to show a valid ID? Is there a particular part of Alpha Ridge that I’ll need to head to? Is there adequate signage?

Fill me in.

Well, that solves my under-the-sink problem. But I still haven’t found that part.

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