We recycle, do you?

I think I mentioned before that in a previous life I worked in Environmental Management in the Caribbean. One of the areas that was still under development (and probably still is) was recycling. Small islands just don't produce the quantity of recyclable waste to make recycling plants viable. The only material that is successfully recycled, as far as I am aware, is glass (all those beer botttles).

So it was a pleasure for me when I lived in the US to be able to actually practise what I'd been preaching, and put out my little blue box full of packaging at the curbside every week. And here in France also. Our town provided each resident with a special tote bag for holding the waste and carrying it down to the bins. And just up the street there is a depository for glass waste.

Yesterday I decided to finally get rid of the beer bottles that had been piling up. Ok that sounds bad, we don't really drink a lot of beer, but on our trip north last month we stocked up on good Belgian beer (which even I like), and then last week a friend visited and bought a case of beer to go with the pizza we ordered.

So I filled up a bag with the bottles and trudged up the street to the depository. I have to say it gave me a good feeling. I also discovered that I really like the sound of the bottles breaking as I tossed them in, and I used more force with each one. I think getting rid of my bottles will be a good way to work off any frustrations, talk about cheap therapy!