Sunday, June 5, 2016

Sometime It Takes a Crisis


Sometimes it takes a crisis to get us moving. Since returning from Tucson in late March we have intended to begin de-acquisitioning our 40-year accumulation of stuff, but it took a wet basement to get us started. Thanks to a five-inch rain, we have made a big dent in our quest to get things out of the house.

Each morning last week we spent just two hours working in the basement, sorting out recyclables, trash, and thrift shop donations. Dennis spent far more time distributing the stuff than we spent sorting. He made two trips to the thrift shop, and two to the Lawrence recycling center.

I rode along on his second trip, and looked in wonder at the various categories. Right away I saw a huge block of smashed aluminum cans. It weighs 1,000 pounds and is worth $8,500 at today's price. Aluminum is the most valuable of all recyclable materials.*


Inside the recycling shed I saw surprisingly few plastics. Maybe they had just been hauled away. I wanted to ask how the plastics can be efficiently sorted according to their numbers, but no one was around to ask.


The mixed-paper smasher’s warning sign shows just how hazardous employment in the recycling center can be.


Outside the shed were things too big for the bins.


In the distance was a growing mountain of really big things, including what appeared to be appliances, wooden furniture, and masses of tree roots. I didn’t get close enough for a careful inventory.


America’s trash is a crisis in the making. Going to the recycling center is scary, but if you want a really big scare, visit the local landfill. Maybe we will pay a visit there soon. Maybe everyone should.

*Americans throw away nearly $1 billion worth of aluminum cans every year. - See more at: http://www.aluminum.org/industries/production/recycling - sthash.j8LkPnqv.dpuf

Copyright 2016 by Shirley Domer



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