Curbside and senior recycling fell on December 26 this past week for Keep Alliance Beautiful patrons. I rode with Kathy as we encountered at least two-thirds of the seniors’ addresses with nothing out on this Boxing Day (Canada et. al) and the first day of Hanukkah. Christmas leavings at several homes nearly made up for the “no’s”. All in all a typical week after working short-handed and being closed for two days on Dec. 24-25.
I always, perhaps naively, think the sheer amount of cardboard (Amazon and other gift boxes) and wrapping paper shoved into Dumpsters would be the one thing prompting people to recycle. Sure, after dumping the last pickup load from our route there were a couple round, see through bags stuffed with Christmas present paper and obvious boxes from gifts huddled near the balers. And no doubt the cardboard trailers will yield the same into the New Year. However, riding shotgun Thursday morning I noticed a higher ratio of the same waiting for the refuse department drivers. It was tempting to stop, or roll down the window, as we drove past a young couple topping off their garbage container with cardboard boxes.
Maybe KAB can adopt a tactic of my favorite Christian radio station. Somewhere in the transition between Thanksgiving and December listeners hear Christmas music – a variety, not just Contemporary Christian and tunes found in hymnals. The angle? “Listen to us for a month, and if you like what you hear we’d love you to listen all year” is the gist. So, here goes: Bring your Christmas boxes, wrapping paper and worn out lights to the KAB recycling center in
January and we would love to see you the rest of 2025.
If that is agreeable, here are a few details. Wrapping paper goes with corrugated and fiber board (single-ply) cardboard. The material is easiest for us to handle when bagged or stuffed into boxes. Please remove plastic bags, etc. As usual, we encourage dropping off large amounts at our south door at 107 ½ Cheyenne. Christmas lights go with the electronics at no charge.
Personally, my children and I are enjoying our “green” presents. I was able to upgrade my sorting system with a set of collapsible vinyl bags that attach to each other with Velcro. Sporting the monikers: Paper – Box/Can – Bottle/Plastic – Vinyl, they will complement an existing pop top container made of rigid plastic. The kids have already spent time writing and erasing notes, lists and other communications in their reusable notebooks. The particular brand, which I mentioned in a column at least four years back, is endlessly (until the tough pages wear out) usable with an erasable pen. An app allows what the pages hold to be stored digitally. What I would have given to have one as a high school reporter in the ‘90s.
Environmentally friendly toys and gifts for Christmas are nothing new. I doubt the pioneers and homesteaders more than a century ago left carbon footprints with their homemade exchanges. Back then snow and cold would have been more of a challenge to FedEx, UPS, Amazon and Postal deliveries than the temperatures in the 50s and lack of snow that was December 2024 in Northwest Nebraska.
Remember to reduce/reuse/recycle as we step into and celebrate the New Year. Thank you to every person who stuffed KAB’s trailers, came into the recycling center to drop off materials or volunteer, and the businesses that filled totes and trailers with cardboard and so much else. Find your own way to Keep Alliance Beautiful throughout 2025.