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This morning I was driving into work and I saw the recycling truck picking up bins from the curbsides of many homes in my neighborhood but what surprised me was how many households had not left any recycling there to pick up!
Excuses, Excuses, Excuses…
If your city provides curbside pick-up, then any argument of inconvenience is really not valid. And to say that you have no recyclables would be even more of a falsehood. Sure it takes a little more thought and time to separate out the plastics from paper and glass but a trip to your rapidly expanding local landfill will remind you of what is more important than that extra 10 minutes a week – the future of our planet and the quality of life on it. And, in most cities separating these different materials is no longer necessary. So let’s do this!
How YOU Can Make A Difference
You can start by looking into your local chamber of commerce and community websites to see how the local recycling program works in your town. It is different everywhere and it is true that not all recycling programs are created equal. So, find out your guidelines and start following them. It is that simple. When you think of the benefit of the trade-off – a few minutes each week for a cleaner world – how can you not do your part to make a better tomorrow?
If you can’t be responsible enough to put forth some energy when it comes to recycling, you have no right to complain about anything to do with the state of the planet. (I’m not speaking of the author here, just people in general.)
Recycling is a fairly simple process. You get a few garbage cans, separate the materials, bag them up, and take them to the nearest recycling bin. If your town doesn’t have one, look to the next town over.
You can even make money recycling. Any kind of metal can be taken and turned in for cash. Yes, you have to separate the metals if you want to get more for your money, but is it really that difficult?
The only possibly feasible excuse I can see for a lack of recycling is a lack of room to store the materials. But, there is a solution for that too. You don’t have to wait until the can is overflowing to take the items in. Make a weekly drop at the local recycling bin or partner up with neighbors so that you can recycle more but reduce the amount of space you need to take up. If you live in an apartment or apartment complex, research the tax breaks that are available to landlords who provide recycling services. You might even take things a step further and learn about the tax breaks a landlord can get for installing energy saving appliances or alternative methods for energy use, like solar panels.
Use some common sense. Stop living in the here and now. Think about the future. You don’t want to be someone who looks back and knows they didn’t even come close to doing their best.