Reduce, reuse, recycle

Though I’m not sure that we ever truly experienced winter this year, for a while it seemed like spring would never show up either. But after a number of days with the thermometer near or over 80, the annual rites of the season can finally kick in.

Gardens can be laid out and planted (prudence concerning the possibility of another late frost is for those not affected by the rise in mercury). Grills and deck furniture can assume their rightful homes on our patios and decks. Lawnmower blades can be sharpened as that smell of fresh-cut grass fills the air (and the sinuses). And garages and fields can be cleaned out and cleared.

I’ve been looking forward to the last of these chores for a few months now. I’ve been meaning to clean out my garage ever since I stored my summer gear in there before Thanksgiving. It was just about then that I took a trip over to Wise Recycling (745 North Commerce Street — just go down Commerce until you reach the end) to talk to owner Jesse Wise about the “Three R’s” (reduce, reuse, recycle) and how his business can help those of us who’d rather not see our renewable trash piling up at a landfill.

In almost every case, if it can be recycled, Wise will take it. They’ve got self-service bins where people can drop off glass, aluminum cans, and newspaper — items that offer very little, if any, payback, but Wise is happy to provide the service.

But then you look across the yard, and you see things that you never think about while filling up your blue bin at the house.

It’s a conglomeration of the most obvious, yet hidden-in-plain-sight, recyclables that we all have in our homes, garages, and farms.

The day I was there, it was several old aluminum lawn chairs that were sticking out of a pile. Motor parts from old farm equipment were headed for the scales. Broken bicycle frames, piles of heavy steel chain rusted from years of just sitting in someone’s field, and copper wiring from any number of discarded appliances, just to name a few of the sights.

Seeing all of that recyclable material in one place has a double-edged effect on a person who thinks they’re doing a pretty good job already when it comes to being “green.”

First, you get real excited (like I did), and you think of all the things just piling up at home. I thought of the old metal shower curtain rods and the stainless steel sink that I just replaced. And the lawnmower I’d been meaning to take to the dump for a year. I had piles of recycled metal I’d never even noticed.

But then the other side hits you: How often had I tossed away old appliances because they stopped working? What did I do with the aluminum pots and pans in my kitchen when it was time to buy new ones? How many bicycles have I owned in my lifetime and where are they all now?

It’s sobering to think about how much scrap metal those of us who would never throw away an aluminum can put in the trash every spring when we’re clearing the clutter. If old metal chains can lay in a field for a hundred years and still be intact, how long will all of this material sit in a landfill before it decomposes?

Now that I’ve shared my eye-opening experience, and acknowledged my own ignorance and past failures, I’ll consider my slate clean. After all, tomorrow is a new day, Earth Day, and it can bring a new start to changing my habits. Besides, there’s no better time of year to think about fresh starts than after a run of days when the mercury indicates that spring has finally sprung.

NOTE: As an added bonus, Wise Recycling pays for much of this salvageable metal, and they have accounts set up if you’d rather they contribute the proceeds to one of many local charities. Wise Recycling can be reached at 825-0996.

James Clements is a Culpeper resident and independent columnist who appears each Monday. E-mail