Wednesday, July 30, 2008

um, seriously?

OK, I was flying today, and I never leave an airport without being irritated about something.

You know that rule they have at the airport now about no liquids over 3 ounces can be carried past the security checkpoint? Things like plastic water bottles are strictly verboten past the metal detectors these days. Well, if you've been in airport recently, you've observed the tossing of countless contraband bottles. Straight into the TRASH CAN.

Can somebody get the TSA a couple recycling bins? Please? I mean, they have these giant garbage bins there anyway for people to toss the bottles into. Couldn't they make it a recycling bin as easily as a trash bin?

Or is recycling some kind of a security threat now too?

12 comments:

a/k/a Nadine said...

How awful. I had a similiar experience upon leaving the movie theater recently. There was one trash receptacle where everyone was depositing everything, including plastic bottles. Goodness knows, no one will be picking through the trash to sort it out.

Jenn said...

I agree -recycling bins and a few plants to water would be nice.

Say - if you are still interested in canning, you should try to get up to Oakland one of the next couple weekends. I'm putting up a lot of fruit and there's bound to be a night or day when I'm working in the kitchen and you can learn a bit about canning.... how are you with a paring knife? ;)

Green Bean said...

Ug! That gets me every time.

ilex said...

It's all a big, fat red herring, you know-- that three-oz rule. They don't use recycling bins precisely so you'll BE irritated, and distracted from the fact that they don't inspect the plane's cargo holds, or our ports, or the containers that come into our ports, or the cargo that comes over our borders via truck. Red herring, I tell ya.

But yeah, it totally should be a recycling bin.

Ashley said...

Yeah or people could just think ahead and dump the water before getting into line and reuse the bottle once you get past security!!!

But I guess that assumes people care.

Melissa said...

nadine, the movies are something else, aren't they? and hello food waste!

jenn, I am likely to cut myself along with some fruit, but that won't stop me :) I'll be in touch when I'm back in town...hopefully the fruit will still be there!

green bean, me too...but who do you complain to about the federal government??

ilex, I'd never thought about it that way, but you're right, it's pretty ridiculous the things they focus on when you stop and consider all the things that they seem to totally ignore. the cargo hold is the one that really freaks me out.

ask, I think that most people care enough that if they're given the choice, they'd recycle, but I think this is such a particularly stressful experience already for many people that I don't think people even think about options besides chucking it in the trash, especially if they're people who travel infrequently. Because you're right, there are simple alternatives, but people are too frazzled at this point to think about them. That's why I think there should be an easy option - like a recycling bin that's too big to be missed.

Farmer's Daughter said...

I've had the same experience as Nadine. I knew I had totally crossed over to eco-conscious when I stuffed my girlfriends water bottles in my purse so I could recycle them when we were leaving the "Sex and the City" movie.

Robj98168 said...

It is becoming hateful, is it not? I was at the farmers market in burien, there they have a hot dog stand. THey could use a yard waste bin for the napkins and such, also for the farmers/vendors to use,and a recycling bin for the pop cans and water bottles sold at the hot dog stand. I wrote an email to discover burien, the outfit that puts on the fm, but recieved no response. Time for an old fashioned letter!

Melissa said...

abbie, lol - I think if they do a sequel they should write in a character modelled after you! :)

rob, I think an old fashioned letter is indeed called for! I'm pretty surprised, honestly, that you wouldn't receive a response from them via email! let us know how it turns out!

Julie Artz said...

There are so many places that could use recycling bins! After our last camping trip I decided I could make my millions by inventing a bear-proof recycling center that state parks could use here in Colorado instead of forcing campers to either pack out their recyclables (which is darned near impossible if you're cramming 2 kids, a dog, gear, and, oh yeah, mom & dad into a sedan!) or throw them away...

Jenn said...

julie artz, respectfully, I call you on BULLSH*T.

Pack it in, pack it out.

You had space to bring it, you can take it with you. No ifs, ands or buts.

Michele said...

Yep, having just traveled from NYC to Ft Lauderdale with a layover in Charlotte, NC this past weekend, I can confirm this. *shaking head* Horrible!