Jake grabbed one last milk jug for the week’s curbside pickup and stepped out his back door. Bottles and cans covered his sidewalk beside the overturned black container. Remembering recent visitors to the alley dumpster, Jake swore “racoons!” under his breath as he tidied up the mess. Almost finished, he looked up and saw his six year old holding a Safeway bag. “Daddy, I’m not done yet,” she complained.
The young father had been uninformed about hunting season. This week and next do not be surprised to see your children rummaging through the household recycling bins as they collect items for the Keep Alliance Beautiful Scavenger Hunt.
The contest — open to the public — returns this year to celebrate America Recycles Day, Nov. 15, a national initiative of Keep America Beautiful that aims to motivate and educate the public to take action towards waste reduction, recycling, and buying products made of recycled content. Items for the hunt must be returned any time before noon on Nov. 20 to the recycling center. Area school students are encouraged to participate with pickup at five Box Butte County Schools the week of Nov. 16-20. Children should have received a form in class with a checklist and collection times and locations. There will be a drawing at each school for a chance to win $25.
The six things to look for and submit are:
Empty plastic bottle
Toilet paper or paper towel center
Used envelope
Empty aluminum can
Empty tin can
Empty cereal box
In a way the hunt is more like a fishing trip. I see this event as the hook. People living in households who have never, or rarely, recycled and decide to gather the half dozen materials this year are like fish playing with a bobber. If they have fun celebrating America Recycles Day in this fashion, and maybe even take home $25, we could land parents, individuals and especially children as regular recyclers. It is perhaps a bit more likely to get a bite and lose the fish. Who knows? They could bite again during the 2021 scavenger hunt.
This year’s list shows how easy it is to find everyday products that can be recycled. Any plastic bottle will work as KAB accepts Nos. 1-7. The toilet paper/paper towel centers and cereal boxes are examples of paperboard (also called fiber). An envelope goes into the office paper bin. Aluminum cans should be uncrushed and join thousands of others in each bale we ship. Tin cans take a few seconds to rinse to avoid a mess as we sort the versatile metal.
Children are excited to participate and, of course, love an opportunity for a reward. However, the scavenger hunt is open to anyone who walks through our doors holding a bag with the required items and a complete checklist sheet. I think adults should get in on the fun. Hundreds of people visit the center, stop by the KAB trailers or fill their curbside containers every week. Why not skim a bit off the top and enter?
Observed less than two weeks before Thanksgiving, America Recycles Day is a time to pause and be grateful for the world in which we live, highlighting this avenue to save natural resources while promoting a cleaner environment.