Lining up for a green cause
Funny thing about lines. Waiting in them is rarely fun, and the longer the line, the less fun there is.
Sometimes, however, it’s just plain necessary. And occasionally, waiting in the right kind of a line can leave you with a genuine sense of satisfaction.
Take the line at the Spokane Valley Transfer Station at 3941 N. Sullivan Road for example.
On these lovely autumn afternoons, the line can get a bit long.
But if you’re finally hauling away that stuff cluttering up your garage – the stuff no one wanted the times you tried to give it away – there’s a feeling of satisfaction about finally being rid of the stuff, even if you have to pay per pound to do it.
If you’re hauling a load of household hazardous waste, there’s the satisfaction of ridding your home of a headache. According to the Spokane Regional Solid Waste System Web site, the average family has more than 60 hazardous products, from disinfectants and pesticides to toilet cleaners, oil-based paints and motor oil. Items that require special disposal and are dangerous if spilled are particularly troubling in households where young children could get into them. Taking them where they will be disposed of properly is extremely satisfying.
Perhaps the greatest satisfaction, however, comes from hauling away items to be recycled – from those newly replaced phone books to dead car batteries, from glass to plastic bottles and from daily newspapers to well-read magazines. Knowing that there is more use left in these items and that you are helping the environment by turning them over for future use is extremely satisfying.
Kermit the Frog sang “It’s Not Easy Being Green.” No offense to the frog, but it’s easier than you might think – especially when it comes to yard and garden waste.
You spend a summer growing a vegetable garden. You tend your tomatoes, zucchini, corn, beans and peas. You harvest and savor the fruits of your labors. And at the end of the season you take the spent plants off to the transfer station to be turned in as clean green yard waste knowing that it will be composted and turned into nutrients that will replenish the earth.
Waiting in line for a while to do something good for Mother Earth is a small price to pay. In fact, it feels pretty good.
On the weekend, it’s easy to share that good feeling.
Here’s the tip: Keep an ear on the football game. If it’s Saturday, tune in and listen to the Washington State Cougars. Sundays give the Seattle Seahawks a listen.
Why, you ask?
Because the nice folks who weigh your vehicle on the way in and again on the way out to determine how much to charge for your load would love to hear a score update.
If you have the game on the radio, they’ll ask.
It’s good to know the score in the game and when it comes to recycling.