Maybe I live in a hick-town after all. I'm not sure what the current statistics are regarding the average number of US municipalities that offer some type of recycling program to their citizens, but I'm just imagining that it's a somewhat regular modern convenience that the majority of the population enjoys. Ohhh, not me, though. My home happens to fall smack-dab in the middle of a "fend for yourself" zone plagued by a steep, pavement-free, one-lane mountain road that no one (especially not my city's trash removal service) really wants to navigate. Frankly, I don't blame them for wanting to avoid the white knuckle conditions in order to ensure that their fleet of trucks remains intact, but the consequence of my precarious map coordinates is that in my 8 year residence here, I've never enjoyed the simple pleasure of receiving door-to-door recycling pick up.
I realize that there are worse tragedies and managed to devise a way around my ecological conundrum, naively thinking that my plan would be absolutely infallible for...well...infinity. Unexpectedly, my green stewardship came crashing down around me just last weekend. You see, for years, I've waited until my glass, metal, paper, cardboard and plastic bins were filled to capacity before taking periodic 30 minute trips to the closet public recycling drop-off container I could find in order to contribute my eco-bounty. I know, I know...all that fuel just to add a couple of weeks-worth of recyclables to a community collection? In my mind, it was worth it - a small but consistent drop in the bucket -- and I made it a part of my regular routine, tying it in with my other errands. As such, I dropped my eco-materials into Wild Oats' recycling bin for years before they finally closed their doors and then moved onto the sizable recycling container that Sunflower Market offered their patrons for mixed materials.
It was all working out smashingly until last weekend when I drove around to the back of the store as usual and realized that my beloved (yes, you read that right!) community recycling opportunity - the last known one in my wild frontier - was completely MIA. Panic immediately set in. What's going on here? Surely there must be a mistake...maybe the container broke? Hmmm, bears couldn't have damaged it - of course not, they're hibernating. It was probably just moved around the other side of the building to take advantage of the southern exposure - no point in freaking out yet. Oh God, no dice!! My packed-to-the-gills trunk of recyclable materials was getting impatient, just waiting for the sweet moment when they could belch forth, so I wasn't about to deny them the opportunity. Instead, I entered the store and shook down one of the managers for information.
Surprise, surprise -- blame it on the people. It turns out that the citizens in my town have been leaving far more than their recyclables behind, giving Sunflower Market - who graciously offered this particular public collection bin at their own weekly expense -- a headache of especially trashy, messy and costly proportions. Why should steam curl out of my nostrils upon learning this information? Simply put, thanks to the irresponsibility of others, those who consistently try to be eco-responsible end up getting punished. Just so we're clear, I'm by no means a righteous recycler copping a mightier than thou attitude simply because I may go a little more above and beyond the call of duty than others. It's my choice...and I definitely don't look down on others who follow a different agenda because I realize that people are people and they have the basic right to lead whatever lifestyle they desire.
What I DO take issue with is the fact that some of my fellow townspeople abused the privilege of having a nifty free-for-all recycling community resource and now thanks to their apathetic and inconsiderate actions, we're all left holding the recycling bag. I'm not sure how many people out there are now going to end up throwing away what they were recycling up until this time, but I for one am going to stockpile my recyclables in the interim until I figure out a greener solution. Still, I feel like I'm right back in grammar school. People may be several inches taller now and have cars, jobs and families, but it appears that there are some of us that who have never quite grasped the concept of doing the right thing when no one is looking. I suppose that I shouldn't be all that surprised, and yet this is just one small example of what's happening in Any Town, USA. Multiply this type of behavior by hundreds upon thousands of people who prefer to point the finger rather than take charge of their own eco-actions and...well, it's no wonder why our planet is in deep s#*t.
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