To the Editor:

When I moved to the Albany area as a graduate student in the 70s, I lived in a household where recycling containers in the kitchen were actively used. Cans, bottles, plastics, cardboard each went in its separate container. Food scraps were put in a lidded compost bucket and frequently emptied into a large compost container outdoors.

When I got married, my husband, subsequent children, and I all continued the practice, and use a line-up of recycling containers in our front closet. We had a compost barrel behind some bushes in the yard, which rusted through.

I was thrilled on a recent birthday when my husband built a double-bin compost box with lids that I requested. It feels like we are doing some part in reducing waste that goes to the burgeoning landfills, and I am sure we could do much more.

A couple of years ago, while cleaning through my elderly mother’s house in the Finger Lakes, I asked her neighbor where I could find the local recycling center. When he replied that he did not know as he did not recycle anything, stating it was “too much trouble,” I politely concealed my dismay.

Recently, I pointed out the growing mountain at the Rapp Road landfill to a couple of teenagers, and told them that the area used to be flat before they were born. They were surprised, as they did not know that hill was not natural, but is built out of garbage.

The city of Seattle has a goal of cutting waste by composting and recycling by 60 percent. At the end of 2011, Seattle banned plastic shopping bags from use by stores, and put a charge of 5 cents per paper bag provided, to induce people to use their own reusable shopping bags. Beginning in 2015 in Seattle, it became illegal to throw food and food waste, including pizza boxes, dirty napkins, and paper towels in the garbage. The consciousness of that city is environmentally progressive and serves as a model like San Francisco [Altamont Enterprise editorial, June 15, 2017].

We have probably all seen photos and videos online of animals and sea creatures such as raccoons, bears, whales, and dolphins caught in plastic bags or plastic six-pack can holders. Not to mention the swirling masses of plastic garbage that blight our oceans.

We need to start locally, with ourselves, and with our government, to take measures that will add up to diminish contributions to the waste. Each of us can reduce, reuse, and recycle. We can research and develop laws to reduce waste and environmental damage. Each individual action adds up to a lot, and we need to take responsibility for ourselves and our locales. It is respectful to clean up after oneself and not leave a mess that impairs life for others. Let’s work on solutions for this problem now.

Debra Barnes Breitenbach

Altamont