Somebody tell me why there is such an unwillingness, really an aversion, it seems, to recycling!

Contributed By:Dorothy Nevils maslivend@sbcglobal.net

A long, long time ago, people just threw anything not of immediate use away. If it didn’t contribute to the household, it was tossed.

However, before you condemn prior generations as just plain wasteful or slovenly, remember that darn near everything had another use, a good use. In fact, a lot of them were jelly jars that showed up again as beautiful water glasses; and Pet Milk cans with their “punched” ends removed made the “absolute best” biscuit cutters, with one can serving for years! Old, too short dresses morphed into cozy, colorful, quilts for cool nights, and stale corn bread was perfect for dressing!

People from “way back” used everything that had a little bit of use left in it. Yes, they dumped cans down in the “caved in space” beside the gravel roads to somewhat guard against erosion. For that they can be forgiven: The word “recycle” probably wasn’t in use back then. I know I never saw the symbol, three arrows in a triangle chasing each other… which doesn’t mean “squat” to most folk in my neighborhood.

Recycle. It’s a scorned word. It’s not like someone’s asking folks to be Abraham. You remember… He readied his son Isaac for sacrifice. Why, I wonder, is recycling such a hard concept – even with saintly church folk? It means “reuse.” Nothing difficult – or threatening – about that!

One need not go online to discover the fastest growing business of the day: It’s “nacho business,” as in “nobody has anything to do with what I do, or don’t do,” which is about the dumbest thing in the age of enlightenment anybody could come up with, considering it’s everybody’s business! The earth is no one’s “none’ya” territory, nobody’s private space.

Somebody tell me why there is such an unwillingness, really an aversion, it seems, to recycling! The water you drink is recycled! The very air you breathe has been used by another… and another… Whether friend or foe, that person’s recycled breath is keeping you alive!

After all, what you breathe out, another… and another… and another… breathe in! Someone has my used blood in his or her veins; in fact, it may be keeping the one who absolutely despised me alive – or it may be following a path in a new grandma’s body. Whatever the path, that’s what recycling is!

Monday, April 22, was Earth Day, usually celebrated the 111th day of the year, a day for spotlighting caring for the earth. All over, people were planting trees and helping little ones transplant flowers to honor the wonder and beauty that is nature.

This year, as always, Gary does its deed by setting up a collection point in the parking lot adjacent to Hudson Campbell Fitness Center, this Saturday, April 27, for stuff you want/need to get rid of. Dumped items pollute our city and attract vermin, which endanger our citizens, including young children… and our pets. They also devaluate our individual properties, and the city at large.

There is absolutely no reason for dumping! Recycle bins are free, and trucks pick up garbage and recycling every week. Your only chore, a simple one, is to learn the symbols (# 1-5 means recyclable), and wash/rinse/remove any soiled areas.

(Psst… by the way, we, our friends, and our children…? All products of recycling.)

Check the following info: https://www.lcswmd.com/city-of-gary-recycling-department/
https://garyin.us/environmental-affairs/department-of-recycling/
Contact: City of Gary Recycling Department: PHONE: (219) 882-8445 EXT. 3
RECYCLING MATERIAL: Paper; Computers/Electronics; Tires; Appliances
Metal (cans), Glass (jars and bottles), Newspaper, Plastic (bottles and jugs)
HOURS OF OPERATION: Monday - Friday: 8:00 A.M. - 2:30 P.M.

Story Posted:04/26/2019