So I went to our dump, or transfer station, Sunday, as I need to every week or two, for a family of two that lives here full time.

And, as I always do, I put our garbage bag in the dumpster first, then grabbed, as I always do, a handful of recyclables (only from the top, as I am not a zealot), to put in my trunk, before I drove over to deposit our cardboard in the cardboard bin and our many bags (there always are many) of miscellaneous recyclables in the recycle bin.

I’m told by the Wall Street Journal (and other sources) that the biggest U.S. export last year was fuel — that’s interesting.

I’m also told that our biggest export to China (while theirs to us is electronics) is our recyclable trash — we’re very good at generating it and they’re very good at turning it back into things that they and we can use.

Now, as so many of the huge containers they ship goods to us in are sitting around empty in San Pedro, because we never have as much to export to them as they export to us, and as I’d like to see this peculiar symbiotic relationship that we have with one of our primary bankers improved upon, I think that we here in Idyllwild need to do what we can to fill more of those empty containers in San Pedro.

So, what’s my “modest proposal” on Earth Day?

When you go to the dump, whether you’re a full-time resident or a weekender, do as we have done before you go, separate out what’s trash from what’s not. When you get there, you may even want to do I as do, going to a dumpster first.

If we all do this, part or all, then one day, and soon, there will be more recycle bins up at our transfer station than there are dumpsters, much less will be going (wastefully) to the land fill in Lamb’s Canyon, and more will be going to China as a money making export (though, I admit, I’d rather see the need for the shipping part eliminated — shipping requires so much fuel).

Happy Earth Day!

Dennis McGuire
Idyllwild