>"Thanks to community-based recycling programs across America,
>landfill waste was reduced by some 70,000 pounds--or .00004 >percent--last
year," EPA administrator Carol Browner said. "But even >more important,
Americans themselves experienced a whopping 47 percent >drop in guilt."
>Added Browner: "Just ask anyone who's ever thrown a Snapple bottle
>into a special glass-only receptacle during their lunch break and felt
>good about it the rest of the day--recycling works."
>As recently as 1990, the U.S. consumed 88 percent of the world's
>resources and felt 87 percent of its guilt. But by 1995, even though
>the nation's share of the world's consumption actually rose to 90
>percent, through the institution of mandatory recycling programs,
>America's share of global guilt plummeted to 41 percent.
>"I used to feel terrible when I threw out perfectly good things, like
>a working toaster or TV," said Francine Dahl of Lawrence, KS. "But now
>that I recycle a little bit, I could throw out a whole couch and not >feel
guilty at all."
[snip]
Apparently, a participant in the City of Lafayette (Louisiana) recycling
program felt no "guilt" when they carefully placed a bible along with
the newspaper, junk mail and magazines into the green newspaper bin.
When the bible reached the baling area, it was plunked from the hard
mix, just in time. I don't know what will happen to the bible, but
chances are it will not be recycled as yet. It may go to the Salvation
Army for re-use. Material re-use is preferable to recycling.
Susan Snow