Light Lens: Recycler’s high

by T. Touris –

The combination of my cheapness and my wife’s admirable habit of composting and careful recycling allows us to avoid paying for weekly trash pickup. As such I have discovered the simple pleasure of making a trip to the Town of Richmond recycling and trash drop-off.

Once we’re sick of looking at the pile of bottles, cans and paper we’ve accumulated, on a Saturday morning we load up the bins and bags of carefully separated refuse into the truck, and take a leisurely and scenic drive to the drop-off location at the back of the Richmond town hall.

The crash of the plastics and glass being dumped is a satisfying way to start the day, but the typical bill of less than five bucks for a month’s worth of garbage really gets my tightwad endorphins flowing. Sometimes we’ll celebrate our planet-saving frugality and smugly reward ourselves with breakfast at a local diner.

Alas, the drop-offs do not always consist of recyclable peach cans and cream cartons. Anxiety was running high one day when I pulled in with a light wallet and heavy bags of wet, moldy drywall from a flooded basement. Though the coronary I almost experienced hauling twenty-some bags of the stuff up a flight of stairs didn’t do me in, I feared hearing the cost for the disposal and the humiliation of being short on cash would.  As the final, nasty bag was put on the scale, my fear was transformed to euphoria as I was informed I would be charged the discounted bulk rate. Pulling out of the lot, I was flying high and on the way to a steak and egg breakfast.