Oliver letter: Recycling

I applaud the Statesman’s piece on New Year’s resolutions for “the folks in charge.” It made me wonder what resolutions I would have, and I quickly came upon a glaring spot for improvement in Boise: to better our recycling practices. This is more than just providing adequate recycling bins — though that could certainly use a boost. My apartment is still without recycling receptacles despite requests to my landlord. Lunch spots downtown serve up hundreds of foam disposables daily. Walks through alleys reveal trash dumpsters full of cardboard and cans, not to mention our glass “recycling” situation. I wonder if we are making the connection between our actions and the consequences for the natural beauty of Idaho we all revere.

I work downtown, and have fielded many questions from visitors to our city about recycling. Basically, no one understands why we struggle so much to pay attention to it. As our new hotels and convention centers open, I wonder how many more questions I’ll get. But it’s not just about our visitors — we live in Idaho because we feel a connection to the great outdoors, and I’d think we’d all agree it’s worth it to do our part to protect it.

This story was originally published January 20, 2017 at 11:40 PM with the headline "Oliver letter: Recycling."