| nov 02 2007 | | The White Plastic Garden Chair. | On a recent drive through the rural countryside you couldn’t help but notice the items put out at the end of the drive-way for garbage collection. Carpets, cribs, washing machines, fridges, bundles of wood, all clustered around the post box, enhanced the beauty of the countryside as we travelled along.
One item that made a regular appearance in this montage of failed materialism was the white plastic garden chair. On this afternoon driving rural by-ways I could have collected enough for at least one garden set if not many. From viewing these items as we gently motored along they did not appear broken. As I know from personal experience, these things are virtually indestructible. So what causes the proliferation of surplus seating.
From a purely practical point of view if you dispose of a piece of garden furniture you will have to replace it. So are all these people going out to Home Depot to repurchase replacement garden chairs? Then my alternate environmental side kicked in as I thought about the fact that these chairs are a petroleum product and we have hit peak oil, which will fast become a rare commodity. Can we afford to be so reckless with our diminishing oil reserves? Is there a way to recycle plastic garden chairs? So many questions. So much to worry about.
Before you knew it the drive was over and I was back in town, in the city, in the metropolis, where waste is all around and we take no notice of it. It will be a while before I venture into the countryside again.
| | Respond... |
|
|
 |
|
