The Unusual History of Recycling

Okay, so call me crazy, but uh, didn't recycling start way back when my mom was born? Maybe it even started before that. It seems logical enough. I can still remember those beer can hats she used to crochet. And foil, if there was a scrap, there was enough to put together with other scraps and make a full piece. "Waste not, want not," she always used to tell me. "A stitch in time saves nine," I would reply to sound intelligent.

The history of recycling can be rather humorous. Without even making our way through a text book we can discover ways that people have been recycling for years. All those pack rats who can't throw anything away are actually professional recyclers in our midst.

The most prominent recyclers are by far people with high pockets. You know the type. These are the people who debate over whether or not to leave the waitress a penny for lousy service, and then decide to complain to the manager instead. The waitress gets nothing for putting up with them, and then risks losing her job for surviving the whole ordeal.

People with high pockets recycle everything. They use old newspaper to train the dog, rinse out lightly used plastic bags, and even stab themselves with needles to avoid getting too much thread when sewing on a button. While they don't always profess to be super efficient recyclers, they do pride themselves on knowing the value of the dollar, and spending it wisely to get every last penny out of it.

The second, no less notorious group of recyclers we run into on a daily basis is artists. These people use junk to create sculptures that end up being landmarks in the center of town. They not only use recycled items to create their works of art, but many of them manage to earn a living for doing so.

The third, often overlooked, group of recyclers is crafters. Just like artists, these people thrive on scraps. They gather all sorts of little odds and ends to make stepping stones, photo albums, holiday decorations, candles, just about anything that can be turned into something else that someone might treasure. I even knew a lady who made Santa Claus faces out of bleach bottles. She made a mint at holiday bazaars. This is how she bought presents for her grandkids every year, by spending all year collecting bleach bottles and turning them into Santa Claus.

Gardeners are fascinating recyclers. They create humus pits to recycle food scraps and yard waste. They also use all sorts of things to keep moisture in the ground in summer, protect plant roots from freezing in the winter, and guard against wind storms throughout the year. They actually tend their recycling, often stirring and watering the humus pit, changing out mulch materials, and altering landscapes to adjust to unpredictable conditions.

Most moms are recyclers too. How many times have they made the younger sibling wear hand me down clothes? You can bet that those clothes didn't have an ounce of wear in them by the time mom finished passing them down the line. Of course this does tend to expose the myth that the youngest was raised like a spoiled brat.

Remember those dinners mom always made? Why did Thursday night always have such a familiar taste? It's because leftovers never tasted so good, that's why. Mom knew how to recycle so she wouldn't have to hear about it. "What you don't know won't hurt you," she always used to say. If only we had known that she was referring to last week's dinner.

Given some time, I'm sure we all have memories of professional recyclers who taught us to conserve by saving the little things. Whether we quietly left a tip while they were talking to the manager, or purchased their work to add festivity to our homes, we have learned the value of recycling from those who deemed it necessary not to waste a thing. These are the same people who will continue to live by that wonderful old cliché, "One man's junk is another man's treasure." Only they really mean it.