Going Green-- In A PO'd Kind Of Way

We have been "going green" for a while now. As each new light bulb fizzles, we buy a low-energy one to replace it. We diligently collect our plastic, glass, newpaper/paper products and cardboard-making sure all of the glass and plastic is free from "food particles". Rick and I occasionally take showers together to conserve water. Ha ha! No, not really. That's a dream of his...and mine- reserved for one night when I am not trying to prevent our children from drowning, or crying, or running ramped through the house naked (and screaming), diving head-first off of our bed and getting brain damage, etc. I wish I were kidding.

Back to the green stuff: we have really been putting in some effort here. My children know which recycling bin is which and help me carry them to the curb every-other week. I feel like we are really doing well.

Well, then comes the trash man- the regular trash man, not the recycling guy. Our trash day is the same as the recycling day; so, all of our stuff was out at the curb. We have the highest-piled recycling bins in the neighborhood. We even stack extra plastic bags full of plastic bottles and cans inside the bins. We are recycling maniacs. Recycling gurus. We are the bomb of recycling. You get the idea.

OK, back to the trash man....(geesh, I am off on tangents easily this evening). So, my trash men drive up Monday, grab and dump our trash can (only half-full) into their trash truck. I was so proud that we had more recycling than trash. I gazed happily out the window, seeing the fruits of our effort piled high for all to see. I know the other families in the neighborhood had to be jealous. I am sure they are thinking, What an awesome family of recyclers. We want to be as cool as them.

I continued to watch out the window, expecting the trash truck to pull away off to the neighbors house. Just then, to my extreme horror.... I see the khaki-brown jumpsuit-wearing garbage dumper grab our large pile of cardboard boxes (neatly stacked in a pile beside the recycling bin-just as requested in the recycling manual!!!) AAUUGGH! Does he know how many hours Rick and I...(well, Rick mainly) spends breaking down these stinking boxes to put them in the recycling? If we wanted to throw them out, we (he) wouldn't have taken the time to break them down. The boxes would have been casually tossed into the garbage can effortlessly.

As my nose was pressed firmly against our bathroom window and my mouth was hanging open in extreme pissed-offness while I watched the brown-suited man, I further witnessed him grabbing the large plastic bag (full of plastic bottles and cans) and tossing them into the trash truck also. I was instantly angry. Our recycling- to be whisked off to the nearest landfill to sit for years and years and years....for nothing! RRRGH! We are so particular about what we use, what we buy, what we throw away and how we wash stuff before we place it into the recycling containers....effort-BIG effort and time....wasted....gone....capoot... Lovely. Just what I have growing on trees- time.

Right now, you may insert your own favorite hate word describing that trash man. I am a mom, I can't talk like that anymore. But, I can sure think it!