| | | | | unwanted material became garbage. The tour |
| I'm suffering from "Blue Barrel Anxiety," and so | | | | guide went on to say, "When something has value |
| are a lot of other people around the country. | | | | or there is a market for a recycled item it is |
| What is BBA you ask? Think of it like this. You | | | | captured, bundled and sold." I pointed out a bin |
| are cleaning up after a family picnic, the table is | | | | filled with glass bottles and I asked our tour guide |
| covered with paper plates, an empty pickle jar, a | | | | why they weren't recycled? His answer was |
| plastic mustard container and lots of other things | | | | that it's cheaper to make new glass than |
| made from plastic and paper…lots of other | | | | recycle. I was becoming educated and my BBA |
| things. If you have ever wondered, does this | | | | was starting to ease. I learned that recycling is |
| go in the trash or recycle bin, then you have | | | | about money, at least here in the U.S. it is, and |
| experienced what millions of us have, the dreaded | | | | until there is a demand for recycled glass or the |
| BBA, "Blue Barrel Anxiety." | | | | price of virgin glass goes up….it's off to garbage |
| I was suffering so badly from BBA that I didn't | | | | land with used glass. |
| know what to toss into my blue bin…I'd even | | | | It turns out that U.S. Recyclers are very picky |
| gotten a letter from my trash collection company | | | | about what they want and are only willing to |
| warning me that I was about to lose my Blue | | | | spend the time, labor and money on items that |
| Barrel privileges. Don't be disheartened, I've | | | | can easily and quickly be captured from the |
| discovered the cure for BBA. It turns out that | | | | recycle stream. In other countries recycling has |
| by educating oneself, BBA can be reduced and | | | | taken on a whole new meaning. I recently read |
| more importantly for me, no more letters. | | | | about another country where even a tennis shoe |
| I set up a tour to my local recycling center. | | | | is dismantled for the metal, leather and rubber. |
| WARNING and DISCLAIMER: Prepare yourself, | | | | Is that cost effective? Probably not, but those |
| seeing firsthand what becomes of the things you | | | | countries are coming closer to a sustainable life |
| put into your recycle bin may shock you. | | | | style than we are. The tour was an eye opener |
| Perhaps you might consider taking a friend or the | | | | and it got me to questioning if there was any real |
| entire family for moral support. You're going | | | | value to recycling here in the U.S., or was it all |
| to need it. | | | | just a way to make money, appearing to be |
| How did my tour go? Well it wasn't what I | | | | environmental? |
| expected. The facility I went to gave the tour | | | | Organizations that promote and support recycling |
| from an enclosed area where we observed the | | | | here in the U.S. need to do more toward |
| process through glass windows. We didn't hear | | | | developing new markets for the goods we now |
| much of the noise or enjoy the smells. The | | | | toss into our landfills. Most of their efforts are |
| room we were in was equipped with a room | | | | spent on maintaining the status quo of recycling |
| deodorizer that periodically shot a mist on the air | | | | and they don't take kindly to anyone rocking the |
| which covered up any noxious odors. I | | | | garbage boat. |
| wondered what was in the deodorizer and why | | | | Public awareness and acceptance for |
| suddenly I was feeling a lot of love for all those | | | | environmental programs continues to grow and |
| recyclers working the picking line, hmmmmm. | | | | recycling organizations need to embrace |
| Anyway… the thing that got most my attention | | | | environmentalism and its potential benefits. The |
| was the amount of "recycled" items that aren't | | | | U.S. needs to follow the lead of countries that |
| recycled. A lot of the stuff…most of the stuff, | | | | have successful recycling programs, programs |
| we put into our recycle bins isn't recycled, it is | | | | that are reclaiming up to 75% of waste |
| disposed of in the landfill. I was a little taken | | | | materials. Recyclers need to get away from the |
| aback and somewhat hurt that all the plastic, | | | | idea that recycling is just a for-profit business and |
| cans, and containers that I had rinsed and | | | | begin to look at recycling as the anchor for all our |
| carefully placed into my recycle bin were being | | | | environmental programs. |
| treated like garbage and I was wondering why? | | | | Use, reuse, recycle and reclaiming are all about |
| The tour guide must have seen the questions in | | | | sustainability; it should become the mantra of all |
| my eyes…I heard the mister spray again and | | | | businesses and consumers. We need to rethink |
| the love return. The tour guide went on to | | | | how our products and packaging are designed, |
| explain that recycling, while being good for the | | | | used and when the life of a product is over how |
| environment is in the final analysis a business | | | | the resource is reclaimed. Sustainability is |
| activity. Items we toss that don't have market | | | | important for our future and it's the only way we |
| value are stored or sent on to the landfill. Most | | | | will be able to ensure a healthy planet and that |
| of what I saw being saved was plastic containers | | | | resources will be available for future generations. |
| and cardboard, so I assumed most of the | | | | |