hen I started my zero-waste challenge a year and a half ago, the first pedal to the recycling depot felt like judgement day. It would either confirm or eradicate my waste free ambitions. I'd packed my panniers with cardboard, glass, and plastic, devoid hopefully of any garbage, and I cycled to the depot with both fear and hope in my heart that Barb, the depot manager, would be there. I wanted to see if she would catch me with some unrecyclable, with one brief head shake turn this whole challenge to fantasy, and affirm waste a fact of life.

On a prior visit, Barb had listed to me the things she would and would not take: plastic bags yes, light bulbs no, tin foil if cleaned, toothbrushes forget it. This time when I pulled up in-front of the bins, she was too busy on the other side sorting metals to notice what I was tossing in. With my panniers almost empty and feeling like I couldn't or shouldn't possibly be getting away with this. I yelled across at her
"Hey Barb..., ah what about this,"dangling a washed out cat food bag in the air.
"Yup that's for the plastic bag bin. " she said
"Ok, this" I asked waving a crinkled foil wrapper,
"Plastic again" she said.
"Ok, this" I shot back.
There 's a stack of egg cartons by the glass"