CALIFORNIANS UNITE; YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BUT THE PLANET

When we were packing up to leave for Palm Springs I took a six pack of empties back to the local beer vendor. I put the bottles on the counter, the clerk opened the cash register and gave me sixty cents. Last Monday I bought my second six pack of Samuel Adams at Ralph's supermarket, who don't take empties. I had to take my bottles to the recycling depot behind the store - a prefab shack with an extremely large sign that said "REPLANET." It was 3 p.m. but it appeared to be closed. A smaller sign informed me that the depot was open 'Tuesday to Saturday between 10 a.m. and 4:30 pm.'

I returned on Tuesday afternoon between the designated hours to find it closed. I had failed to notice an even smaller sign that said lunch break was from 1 pm to 1:30 pm.

When I returned the next day, at 2 pm, I had wait in line behind a couple of homeless guys. Each had a plastic bag the size of the Goodyear blimp full of pop cans. I finally got to the front of line and plunked down my six pack. "Is that all?" the clerk said.
 
"Yes," I apologized.

He dumped the bottles into a bin and gave me back the empty carton. I told him to toss it out. He said he couldn't. My Spanglish isn't too good so I'm not sure why.  I saw what looked like an empty trash barrel and tossed the cardboard carton into it. He said I could'nt do that - the barrel was for plastic bags. Meanwhile he had rung up my empties and presented me with a duplicate receipt for 30 cents. I was instructed to print my name on both copies and sign them. He took one and gave me the other. I could cash it at Ralph's.

Fortunately, the checkout line up at the '10 items or less' register wasn't too long. When  I finish my current six pack, I will not be cashing in the empties. (If the deposit was 10 cents, as it is in Winnipeg, I might think twice.)

In addition to returning my empty beer bottles prior to leaving Winnipeg I dumped the contents of my personal recycling box into the common bin in the basement of our apartment block. Here, I dump my recyclables into the garbage can. There are no recycling bins at the complex where we are staying. Nor do I see many in front of single family residences. You have to pay a monthly fee to recycle down here.

I suppose the environmentally conscious State of California could do more to discourage residents from recycling.

But, offhand, I can't think of what.