Now they want us to separate our plastics and glass into two separate containers. The soft plastic recyclers want us to sort soft plastic, Styrofoam and foil into three more areas.
When we started recycling years back it was a pretty simple affair. Garbage in one container and recyclables like paper in another and then cans and bottles in a box. It was simple and it worked. And then came kitchen waste into another tote and then soft plastics into a monthly recycle program. That is good for the environment and we all complied, more or less.
So come pickup day I drag three totes to the curb followed by two blue boxes and once a month I drive to a soft plastic recycle centre and divide up my booty, thankfully with the help of the volunteers. This week I looked at my glass jar collection. One pickle bottle, one wine bottle and one HP sauce bottle. Maybe I am wrong but I do not think these are reused. I am afraid I won’t, at my advanced age, drag a container to the curb with three items in it and won’t drive to the liquor store to get five cents on my wine bottle.
Here is the twist. We are all trying to save the environment, which is desperately needed. My grandkids learn about recycling, air and water pollution in school yet just walk by Willows school on any school day and try to count the hundreds of polluting vans and SUVs that are transporting these kids to school.
Saving the environment is an excellent idea but really it has come to the point of why? Too many obstacles, rules and minivans make it fruitless.
John Somerville
Oak Bay