Ann Piper's recent post on her rainbow-graced chore of taking out the trash got me to thinking. Here's a photo I took at the Russellville Recycling Center of some metal and plastic containers all compacted for reuse. This place is just across the street from the jailhouse, and if you haven't visited, you should. The people that work there are very helpful. Not only that, I thought the image was kinda arty, in the Andy Warhol sense. If you double click on this image, you can definitely see Pepsi, Listerine, Diet Liptons, Sprite and numerous other brands. Trash has come a long way, now that we're more environmentally conscious. Today we separate out our plastic and metal cans, newspapers, cardboard, milk containers, batteries, defunct computers, etc. And that's a good thing. But when I was growing up in Russellville, one of my favorite trips was to the City Dump, out on Morgantown Road. Everything was dumped there, we just took all our trash and junk there, never thought much about the contents and had never heard of the terms toxic waste or environmental hazard. My Dad and I would occasionally take out old TV picture tubes to the City Dump and I would use a 22 rifle to shoot them, watch them explode. Lots of great fun! Today that place would be cordoned off as a public health hazard, and someone would probably go to jail for letting it happen. So maybe having the Russellville Recycling Center across the street from the jailhouse is a good reminder of our environmental responsibilities.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Russellville trash
Ann Piper's recent post on her rainbow-graced chore of taking out the trash got me to thinking. Here's a photo I took at the Russellville Recycling Center of some metal and plastic containers all compacted for reuse. This place is just across the street from the jailhouse, and if you haven't visited, you should. The people that work there are very helpful. Not only that, I thought the image was kinda arty, in the Andy Warhol sense. If you double click on this image, you can definitely see Pepsi, Listerine, Diet Liptons, Sprite and numerous other brands. Trash has come a long way, now that we're more environmentally conscious. Today we separate out our plastic and metal cans, newspapers, cardboard, milk containers, batteries, defunct computers, etc. And that's a good thing. But when I was growing up in Russellville, one of my favorite trips was to the City Dump, out on Morgantown Road. Everything was dumped there, we just took all our trash and junk there, never thought much about the contents and had never heard of the terms toxic waste or environmental hazard. My Dad and I would occasionally take out old TV picture tubes to the City Dump and I would use a 22 rifle to shoot them, watch them explode. Lots of great fun! Today that place would be cordoned off as a public health hazard, and someone would probably go to jail for letting it happen. So maybe having the Russellville Recycling Center across the street from the jailhouse is a good reminder of our environmental responsibilities.
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3 comments:
Keith, I also remember that old City Dump. Frank and I used to go out at night and use 22 rifles to shoot rats at night. When you drove into the dump the car lights would really show up the rats. Great time shooting as we had the large hill behind the dump to keep the shells from getting dangerous. I believe the city or state has cleared the site and built a garage there now. At least it was one way to clear up the eyesore of the dump. I wonder how much it did for the environment?
I remember the old city dump but never got to do any shooting there - aw shucks. Sounds like fun. And, yes, that is now the site of the County Road Barn. I have never heard anything about problems there, but Keith's dad's television tubes were probably about the most hazardous things ever put there.
The recycling center is generally staffed by female jail inmates. I love that picture, Keith, and it really is "arty".
I also remember the old Quarry Lake/Pond out Morgantown Road - no signs of it now either.
Going to the dump was never one of my activities. I have friends here in Greesnboro who used to go to the Boone, NC, dump to shoot rats and one of them shot himself in the leg when he got overly excited because a rat was running up his leg. I do not remember any limp so the injury must not have been permanent.
Ann P.
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