Why aren’t you recycling?

Graphic by Patty Yee

So as you could probably guess based upon the column I wrote last week, I take Earth Week seriously, and recycling even more.

I wasn’t able to participate in any of the events going on like I would have hoped, but separating my paper from plastic was my own personal way of contributing. But the thing that really gets under my skin is all the other careless people who didn’t even try to make an effort this week.

Recycling is so simple and is a really easy way to help keep our planet clean. How would you like it if I just trashed where you live? I’m going to show up at your house with all the trash I have saved up for a month and dump it on your bed. Over-exaggeration? Well that’s how I feel when I see people throw paper or plastic bottles in the garbage.

I mean, come on people! The school literally puts the different types of garbage cans right next to each other so you don’t even have to think that hard to recycle. But apparently that little thought is too much for some.

If I had extra time on my hands, I would sit out on the corner, with a lawn chair and some lemonade and just watch for all the people that litter and report them to the littering hotline. Which is 866-LITTER-1, by the way!

I personally think we should have harsh punishments for the people that don’t recycle. Like ban them to an island made of garbage so they can really experience what they are doing.

I’d like to hear what people’s excuses are too. Most of the reasons I’ve heard are total bull. Just read my column, seriously. It debunks all the myths that people hear that they use as an excuse.

Think about it. Everything we do in this economy affects each other. If we could reduce the amount of material we use and decrease the amount of mining we do, we would save a lot of money and decrease pollution. By saving money, inflation would decrease and things would become cheaper. Maybe not by a huge amount but hey, every penny counts in my book during these times.

I’m sure many of you have seen WALL-E, the movie about a little robot trapped on our planet, which is now covered in garbage because we got too lazy to do anything about it. And now every person lives in space in levitating wheelchairs because they are too fat. That will be us if YOU don’t stop it! I like our planet! I don’t want to live in space where all everyone does is eat, and we’re too fat to even look at the person sitting next to us. Please don’t let that happen!

So just recycle. Just do it because it can only do good and it does help a lot.