The cleaning up and cleaning out of my grandparent’s old home continues so when Matt and I stopped by the other day to help my aunt get a chair out to the curb I wasn’t at all surprised to find this tacked up on the back of the door to the kitchen:
My old hometown is coming up on its 21st anniversary of recycling. Hooray!
The rest of that side of the page consists of the calendar of pick up dates and a cute little cartoon with a very enthusiastic stick figure announcing that they recycle, proudly! When I flipped the page over I discovered that in addition to newspaper, they were also collecting dropped off (and clean) glass items once a month. Oh, and the newsletter was printed on already recycled paper. Nice!
Rain or shine, in a paper bag or a bin, everyone’s newspapers became the catalyst toward a fantastic eco movement in Arlington!
According to the
Recycling section of the Department of Public Works website, Arlington now recycles “yard waste, trash collection, white goods, household hazardous waste, CRT/TV collection and more.”, quite an achievement for a mid-sized town in only 20 years!
Good for you for thinking so progressively back then Arlington, thanks for thinking environmentally in the midst of the consumption age. You are the example of how to start small and build a program from one tiny shift in thinking. ♥love♥
Interested in your own town or city’s recycling history? Why not give your Public Works Department a call. Or better yet, stop by for a visit and chat with the employees. If your town has had a recycling program in place for even one day they are making a difference. Tell them thanks and shake their hand!
Happy recycling!
