Tree-Hugger Idea #2 - Recycling New Jersey Style

I was born and raised in NJ and admittedly it's not my favorite place.  I come back here once a year for a week or two during the holidays to see my family and that's about the extent of my connection with the North East anymore.  I was reminded, though, of one great thing about NJ when I was out for my walk the other morning.  Residents here really know how to recycle and they've been doing it like this for twenty-four years (in Somerset County at least). 

My father is in charge of recycling in their household and he says it takes him about a half hour every other week, or one hour a month to prepare their disposed items for recycling.  This includes, rinsing glass, plastic & aluminum cans and jars (minus the lids) and placing them in blue recycling barrels, breaking down all cardboard boxes (tissue, cereal, pizza, frozen dinner, etc), stacking and tying them with twine, stacking all newsprint paper and tying it with twine, stacking all "other" paper and tying it with twine, placing used batteries in a ziplock bag and more I'm probably missing.  My dad says it's become second nature after all these years and he thinks it's time well spent.

Recycling Day in Somerset County, NJ
(check the end of this post for links to great info about their award-winning program)

What's so encouraging, is how well people seem to follow the recycling rules.  When you look up and down the street on recycling day, everyone's items are stacked neatly at the curb and in the proper manner to be picked up by the recycling truck.  I think there's a fine system in place that serves as the motivation for this conformity, but it seems to work really well.
The state of California, where I live, is often known for it's progressiveness where environmental policy is concerned but they sure could take a lesson from NJ when it comes to effective and manditory, residential recycling programs.

I gave this a 3 on the Tree-Hugger Severity scale because it takes no financial investment at all and a resonably small amount of effort is required.  Of course, if your town doesn't have this type of program in place, the only thing you can do is vote for it when the issue shows up on the ballot and write letters to your local representatives letting them know that you think this is important.

Somerset County, NJ's Award Winning Recycling Program
Somerset County's Residential Recycling Rules - Check this out as a resource for starting a local residential recycling program in your area.

California Dreamin'

I do live on Catalina Island and have for the last eight years but I'm very sorry to say that I haven't been "in residence" for the last month or so.  I've been in New Jersey with my daughter since early December to spend the holidays with my family, which I try to do every year.  As I'm sure you can imagine, New Jersey is not my first choice of places to spend time but if I want to see my family, and I really do, it's something I must endure.  I'm here for a bit longer than usual this year because I'm seeing a specialist about a mysterious autoimmune disease I apparently have, but I won't go into all the mundane details about that here.  I have another blog that serves as my outlet for that very uplifting subject.

I really miss Catalina.  Especially when I glance over at my desktop weather app which reads 72F in Avalon and the temperature where I am is 30F.  The weather here in the North-East, simply put, sucks!  I was raised here and lived on the east coast into my twenties.  The weather was, in my opinion, uncomfortable most of the time:  too hot and humid in the summer and too cold and icy in the winter. If I never see another flake of snow in my lifetime, it would be fine with me.  Being here reminds me of all the winter mornings I spent scraping ice off my windshield, heating my car key with a lighter to get it in the icy lock or standing on the train platform, my still slightly damp hair, freezing into solid chunks, while my clouded breath swirled around my head.  I know many people live in relative happiness here, after all NJ is the most densely populated state in the US, but I guess I'm just a wimp.  I can't wait to get back home to Catalina.  I'll be leaving the gloves and scarf behind for sure. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!