Keeping the earth green

I've written before the story behind why my husband doesn't recycle, but because we seem to be going through bottled water like, well, water, I have been saving the bottles to recycle.  We live in the county and while we have curbside recycling we have to pay for it.  We did so with our original trash collector, but recently we switched companies and Tom opted not to add recycling to the bill.  My neighbors, however, are still with the original trash company and thus recycle every Friday.  I figured I would just add my bottles into their curbside container on Fridays and become a recycle princess at least in plastic bottles.

When we had recycling pick-up the truck came every Friday in the late afternoon.  Trash pick-up came early morning, but the recycle truck came much much later.  This past Friday when I had several bags of recycling material the truck came while I was still in my pajamas and before I could get my bags into the neighbor's yellow recycle bin.  Annoyed by this, but still determined to save our earth, I piled the bags into my car to drop off at a recycling drop off center while out running errands.  The other thing I've been working on recycling is plastic bags; the kind the grocery still uses to pack up my groceries.  I have purchased the canvas bring your own bags, but inevitably I always leave them in the car or forget them at home and back I come with ten new bags of plastic bags.  I do recycle these bags in my home.  I use them as liners in the bathroom trashcan, but because the bagger insists on putting only three items in a bag I have tons of those earth destroyers.  Darcy reminded me that there are recycle containers at the front of our grocery store for the bags and so I have begun storing them, along with the bottles, in the garage in a space rarely utilized by the husband.

We set off yesterday to run errands and purchase a Father's Day gift.  The first stop was the grocery store where they were having a "decorate a cookie cake for your father" event.  Darcy wanted to do this and so I brought her and her friend in to the store to do so.  I also remembered to recycle the plastic bags.  Check.  I did not remember, however, to take a detour on the way to the grocery to the recycle drop off center for the plastic bottles.  I reminded the girls to remind me so I wouldn't forget as the bottles were in the back where they were seated.

We ran the cookie cakes to their respected father's houses, picked up Madison, and drove to where I remembered the recycling drop off to be.  It use to be across the street from where I lived with my friend Kim in my first apartment.  We lived directly across from the city pool and park where the drop off for recycling plastic, bottles, and newspapers was located in the parking lot.  While I wasn't a huge recycle princess then my roommate was so I had walked over several times with bags of various recyclable material.  That was several  a few years ago and is now no more.  The parking lot was full of cars for a swim meet, but no recycling containers.  I told Madison to goggle it for the city, but she didn't have much luck.  Oh, yes, I said aloud at one time the containers were in the city's treatment area next to my old apartments.  Remind me, I told the girls, to head that way on the way back since I was already pointed in the opposite direction.

We completed our errands, grabbed a bite of lunch, and headed back to recycle.  Again, no containers.  Gone.  No sign to tell me where it had moved to.  We tried to goggle again.  My frustration level was at high by this point.  Here I am trying to do the right thing, trying to save our planet and our wild life, and I'm being hindered by those who want me to do the right thing.  This is why Tom would tell me to chuck the stuff into the nearest trash bin.  Darcy's friend asked why we didn't have curbside recycling because they did.  A light bulb appeared brightly lit over my head as I explained that we lived in the county and had to pay for it while she lived in the city and it was included in their trash pick-up, which of course they paid for in city taxes.  I drove to her house and dumped my stuff into her recycling containers.  Recycle plastic bottles.  Check.

Once I got home I quickly found the drop off centers on my computer.  Where there was once several drop off centers there are now two and neither are conveniently located near my house.  They do take glass, plastic bottles, newspapers, aluminum cans, paper, cardboard, and tin cans.  I can even recycle my used cooking oil there and receive free mulch for my yard.  Hmmm...those two just might be selling points with my non-recycling husband and the centers are on his way to work...