When I first moved back to Lubbock, we started special recycle days. We offered up prizes for folks who brought their recyclables out. Then, at some point, the city itself decided that recycling wasn't such a priority and discontinued many programs.

emagic, Flickr
emagic, Flickr
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America Recycles Day is November 15th. It's a great reminder that we can can do better. It seems that folks around here believe that since we have plenty of space, we've got plenty of room for trash. While that is certainly true in the short term, I don't think I have to spell out the long-tern consequences of that kind of thinking.

Let's be real, recycling is a pain in the ass. Then again, so is raising kids. Knowing that you're keeping the world from getting trashy (or trashy kids) is worth it. Then again, the city does not make it easy. Officially the city has four recycling stops, each less convenient than the next.

This type of waste is an out-of-site, out-of-mind problem that we are just ignoring, and will continue to ignore until it comes back to haunt us. It's a process teaching people that recycling is worth it, and it can be done. My out of town friends still cringe when I tell them just to throw the soda cans in the regular trash. It's behavior that they just don't see as acceptable.

Simple efforts would be the best. If we just had aluminum can bins next to dumpsters it would be a HUGE start.

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