Super Bowl Monday great reminder to recycle

No matter who you were pulling for in the game last night, we probably all pulled open too many sodas or beers while we watched. This morning we’ll all eat a greasy breakfast, drink an extra cup of coffee, and collect all of those cans and take them to a local recycling center.

Well, as Meatloaf sang: "Two out three ain’t bad." Recycling is not second nature to everyone… yet.

But if there’s one thing you can count on to be "recycled," it’s the topic of whether those of us who live in Culpeper, and our elected governments, are doing enough to support keeping our cans and bottles out of the trash. In fact, the topic came up again recently before the Town Parks and Recreation Commission (on which I serve as a member).

The question this time is simple: Can and should we put a blue recycling bin next to the trash cans at Yowell Meadow Park? And if we do, who would be responsible for maintaining and emptying that bin?

That’s where the simplicity ends. The bins are expensive, they attract pests (yellow jackets love soda cans), and that pesky maintenance issue reminds me of why I didn’t have a dog growing up — everyone in the house may have wanted one, but my dad knew he’d be doing all the cleanup.

That said, I don’t want to discourage any group interested in taking on this project. I’m sure I speak for my fellow Parks and Rec. members when I say we’d gladly entertain an offer from a local community group to maintain a blue bin in the park. (And your participation may be all that’s required to get it off the ground.)

During the park discussion, the topic of town-wide curbside recycling came up again. While it’s good for some buzz, it’s an issue that always seems to fall flat. It’s easy to see why. It would be an expensive undertaking for the town, and other options are available — there are several drop-off locations around town, and Culpeper Recycling offers curbside pickup starting at $7/month.

Many communities, and even whole countries, can make recycling and trash the government’s business. Space limitations are a major factor — why pay to dump trash you don’t have to. But locally this isn’t an issue ... yet. And because we tend to treat our trash as personal property (how would you react if you saw one of your neighbors digging in your can at the curb?), we’re all responsible for making our own choices about it.

If you’re on the fence about recycling at home, or if you’d like to just start the conversion in your family, I’ve built a short list of arguments which you should feel free to re-use:

* Even with the economy, Culpeper is still growing and at some point, space will become an issue.

* As outdoorsmen, we should be working to clean up the areas where we hunt, fish, and hike. This means not only picking up trash, but making less of it.

* As parents, we should use this opportunity to teach our children the dangers of a "throw-away society."

Cleaning up from your Super Bowl Party is the perfect time to think about where your recyclables are going and how you can turn an effort into a habit.

Clements’ column runs each week on the oped page. He lives in Downtown Culpeper.