The Thing About Recycling Is That It Is Also Artful

Several years ago while out on a shoot, I came across an interesting thing that reminded me of how fun recycling can be as a photographer, but could/can generate a nice chunk of change. Unfortunately, here in Dallas, while they do have a recycling notion and make some attempt at making it pay for the city, it isn't a big deal. What I'm trying to find out is just why that is and why doesn't the school system not make it pay or even develop a summer program.

 

 The problem is---this is the south, my birthplace, but also, there is no effort to have a recycling area where people from all over the Metroplex bring their glass, aluminum, steel, paper, newspapers, etc.,etc. that kicks out change, even dollars, depending on what you feed the machines. I have seen the Owens-Illinois recycling program at work. One machine had a colorful facing of an animal and it only accepted a specific item. The next one was much the same, but used names like Deno the Dino for one item right on down the line. And speaking of lines, on Saturdays and Sundays,and Holidays, the place was packed with cars with their trunks open and bags of sorted materials were heading to the main arena to fed the animals. It was not only unique, it was fantastic!! Even the adults were excited to go to the zoo. That was the O-I zoo as some had aptly named it.

 

 Just a decade or so I ran into a guy who with his twin brother ran a recycling operation that used pay outs like the O-I center did in the 70's. He even made a trip to Hong Kong to talk to a government official about developing a project that used recycled items. Unfortunately, the interest stopped. I also knew a guy who for his family were big into recycling in Hong Kong and Singapore. In fact, his father was know as the "plastic king of Hong Kong". It just boggles my mind that Americans just don't want to take the time or anything else concerning recycled materials. Even though it is being done. It's not a uniformed industry. It is after all, TRASH!! 

 

Walmart has recycled big time from all its stores and pocketed millions from it. I think about that every time I see a Seven-11 big gulp floating down White Rock Creek, or blown up next to a fence somewhere. Now, I know that 7-Eleven

can only sell the product and does not expect its patrons to stand around drinking it from that cup and then putting it into a trash can so it can be recycle. But, from another standpoint, recycling could become a tax base. Since all the fast foods print their names on like cups, you could encourage an organization that volunteers to pick up those cups and bag them by the name that is on the cup. That could apply to bottles and beer cans as well. Then, by counting the most for say 7-Eleven and then McDonald's or Chick-fil-A, even Whataburger and Sonic, the ones with the most got paid $0.05 each, the next highest got $0.04 and so on.The city could then charge a tax on trash found on the street using the ordinance already on the books.  The ideas are endless.

 

Now the little squirrel that I photographed in a park fabricating a Chick-fil-A cup into a piece with no bottom or top and then slickly cut it down one side before he carried it up to his nest, would not like that. He had even made an effort to go into a trash can to pull it out and then carry it across the street to his tree. But if recycling can be done by a squirrel, why not humans! Don't get me started on issue of what it means to Art!