I live in a condo complex. There are 100+ units that are a mixture of town house-style and garden apartments. It's a nice community, designed for maximum privacy in a relatively densely populated space. Residents come and go; there are owners and renters, group houses and families, and in general we co-exist without too much conflict. Like many such complexes, we share common services--pool, landscaping, and garbage removal.
They pick up our garbage on week days, but for the in-between times, we have two trash enclosures on either end of the community. We're supposed to put regular refuse there, bagged up and placed in the big rolling containers within. There's a number to call for over-sized items, and an extra charge associated with those pick-ups. Even so, it's amazing what makes its way into that trash area every week. Mattresses and box springs are common, but so are gas grills, TV sets, computers, couches, tables and chairs. I've seen clothes on hangers hooked over the top edge of the fence. Right now, there are a half-dozen perfectly good plastic bins with tops and a five-drawer dresser.
We have Salvation Army and Goodwill drop-off locations less than two miles from here, and although the sheer amount of cast-off items at those places (my stuff included, that's why I'm there) always gives me a sick little feeling in the pit of my stomach, at least it's not going into a landfill where WALL*E will have to compact it 700 years from now. There have been occasions when I've loaded some things from the trash here into my car and taken them myself to Goodwill, but usually I don't. It seems like enabling, I guess, and even though the end result is better, I don't want to do it all the time.
I wonder if facing tougher economic times will curb our everything-is-disposable mentality, and encourage us to find ways to re-use. So far, I haven't seen it.
I've only seen piles of trash in ours, but you never know... I'll have to pay closer attn.
ReplyDeleteWhen we saw Wall-e in the theater, they gave out a bunch of junk as wandered in -- such as a disposable watches that didn't work. I could not believe it ... given the message of the movie.
ReplyDeleteKevin
PS -- I just watched it with my four year old this afternoon, as it turns out.
I've thought a lot about the 'everything is disposable' idea that is so strong in our society. My iPod died a couple of weeks ago, after only being my iPod for a year. When I called to ask about getting it fixed, the guy in the store said it was 'old' and I should probably be thinking about getting a new one.
ReplyDeleteOld? It reminded me of something I read years ago: if it was a person, it would still be an infant. I'd hardly be thinking about needing a newer model! Fortunately, when I brought it in, they fixed it, no problem. Definitely not yet disposable!