The trash panda chronicles

Apparently I have become a raccoon.

Let me explain.

One of my neighbors is really big on the environment. One of his passions is recycling. Because Fairfax County can no longer be arsed to accept glass items with recycling pickup, if you don’t want your empty bottles to end up in the landfill, you have to take them to glass collection dumpsters. Kevin solicits glass items from the cluster and makes periodic trips there to ensure that we’re not contributing to the dump. He also collects aluminium cans, which he turns in for cash, which he gives to his niece for pocket money. Since I’ve got to know him by working on cluster-related issues, I’ve taken to picking up any cans I find on my morning walks and depositing them in his bin. I even have been known to pick up flattened cans I find in parking lots and take them to him. Every little bit helps.

Last week I saw a Coke can in one of those mini-trash bins that are at bus stops. I for real opened the bin and picked out the can. I thought that was my scavenging limit. But no.

Because yesterday, as I was coming back from my morning walk, I noticed soda cans in a translucent trash bag (with flattened cardboard boxes, plastic water bottles and cottage cheese containers) perched in someone’s recycling bin. I actually walked past it and then turned around, picked up the bag and took it to my house. I opened the bag, fished out the cans (15 of them) and then put the bag in my own recycling bin. Then I took my haul down to Kevin’s place for him to crush and add to his niece’s college fund.

I really don’t know what’s next.

©2024 Bas Bleu