I would like to acknowledge that this message is a bit of a downer, and completely understand if you’re not in the headspace for this type of post right now. However, I hope you’ll give it a read. If you’re looking for something more chipper, I think you’ll appreciate this post!
I’ve been flustered since I realized we are at the juxtaposition of consumerism, the difficulties of recycling right, inclement weather, and an earlier sunset. This escalated to discouragement and anger when I saw a hauler get out of his truck, walk up to the toter, turn it around, put it back down on the curb, get back in his truck, and press some buttons so the claw mechanism could pick up and dump the materials. Then, he drove to the next driveway, got out of truck again, and schlepped loads of wet, cardboard boxes into the truck. While it was snowing and as it was getting dark. As this was going on, cars were lining up behind him because there wasn’t enough room for them to pass.
Two different haulers with whom I spoke today indicated they pick up from about 1,000 homes while on their route. I believe the sentiment was, “I would really appreciate it if people could assist us in doing our jobs the right way.” I’m not sure why we’re having so much trouble doing so. Do people have something against following the directions on the top of the toter that I don’t know about? Is breaking down cardboard more difficult than I think it is?
Long story short: we’re buying loads of stuff right now for the upcoming holidays. Because of this, there’s going to be tons of packaging to discard (not to mention all of the waste generated during production), all of which will be picked up by a hauler. We’re already not preparing our trash and recycling at the curb appropriately, and this will make things more difficult for Rumpke employees, especially as the weather gets worse and it gets darker, earlier.
This leaves me feeling so sorry for the Rumpke employees who serve us. And then I feel worse when I realize there is a decent chance the products purchased this season will end up in a landfill sooner rather than later.
I can’t blame anyone for wanting to brighten 2020 with new gifts but the only thing I can think to say is that I feel sorry for us, the future, planet, and our Rumpke haulers. I’m so concerned about the survival of people, plants, and animals on Earth because of the new items recently purchased and the ones that will be purchased in the next month (as well as the climate crisis in general). We’re expected to have 25% more waste than usual from Thanksgiving until New Years, and our at-home waste disposal rate is already 25% higher than normal, due to COVID-19. Much of this waste will be landfilled, and the tons of resources used to make these products generated significant pollution. To put it simply, this is not helping the climate crisis.
I’m unsure what else to do other than to limit my purchases to those that are worth the environmental impact they’ll cause, profusely apologize to our haulers, and teach others about carbon footprints, proper waste disposal, mindful consumption, and taking responsibility for our waste. However, that doesn’t feel like enough. If you have other ideas, please let me know. We recycle to help people, but I’m not sure we’re doing things well enough to be helping.
If you’ve read this far, thank you. If you’re doing something to help, thank you. If you get in touch with ideas, thank you.
Please ensure you're following Rumpke's guidelines (I'll be happy to send them to you if you need a reminder). Here are a few to get you started:
♻ Please make sure your toters are labeled appropriately so the hauler knows what is in the toter without having to open it.
♻ Only certain items are acceptable for recycling, and they must be prepared according to the guidelines (rinsed, etc.). Recycling is limited to the items shown on the image at https://www.greenbexley.org/recycle-right. Other items, even if they are paper, plastic, or metal, should not be recycled.
♻ Cardboard boxes should be broken down.
♻ Packing from boxes should be recycled or disposed of in the appropriate toter or at a specialized recycling site.
♻ Toters should be as close to the curb as possible and facing directly at the street (see the arrows on the toter lid) because the "claw" on the truck can't reach a toter far from the curb and the dumping doesn't work as well when the toter is misaligned.