Author’s Note: This is the tenth in a series featuring people from our list of nearly 200 paid and free senior Alliance-area curbside recyclers.
Wendie Henderson
An Alliance native, Wendie Henderson has worked for the railroad for 36 years, currently on train service at BNSF Railway. She loves animals and devotes time volunteering with the Raptor Conservation Alliance. Wendie will pick up these injured birds of prey and release them when they’re able to return to the wild.
Q: How long have you been on curbside, and why did you sign up?
Wendie: It’s been about three years. Some of the reasons: it’s incredibly inexpensive; very convenient – before if you had cardboard or something you had to drive down and see if there was room in the trailers, so (curbside) saves gas.
Q: What do you recycle?
Wendie: Some aluminum cans, a few tin cans, cardboard – Chewy is here on a regular basis, paperboard. With the new Hefty bags, all that stuff that used to go to the landfill, that’s huge. Also, a little glass.
Q: How has this service influenced your opinion of recycling?
Wendie: I was always . . . pro-recycling – reduce/reuse/recycle. So much easier having it sorted in the garage.
Q: Newest thing you’ve added to the bag?
Wendie: Hefty stuff. I’d heard about the TerraCycle (before we had the Hefty energy bags). All that stuff had to get thrown away.
Q: Why do you feel it is important to recycle?
Wendie: Obviously there’s only so much room for trash. A lot of it doesn’t break down. . . . We’re ruining our own nest.
Q: Other “green” practices at your home?
Wendie: I try to conserve water – no underground sprinklers. No chemicals on the yard or the house for cleaning, I use things that are biodegradable. I try not to buy more crap. I ride my bike to work when it’s nice out. Also reuse storage totes for stray cat houses.
Q: Future plans?
Wendie is looking to 2024 and wants to do some xeriscaping in her yard as well as gardening and composting. She has a reel mower though hopes to cut down on overall watering and maintenance by introducing buffalo grass.