Recycling - "Kylie -style"

As an environmentally conscious member of society, I try to do my part to keep our home planet clean & green. That's why I RECYCLE. However, my family is constantly interfering, and even scolding me in my efforts. That's right, everytime I try to recycle, I get in trouble.

Recycling is a vital part of conservation. That is why I am appalled at the amount of perfectly usable/edible material my family throws away, and feel it is my responsibility to make-up for their carelessness. So whenever I have the opportunity, I "inspect" the contents of the trash can to eliminate any excess waste. Leftover food, food containers, napkins, these things can all be eliminated, or at least licked clean. The challenge is getting to the trash when you have no opposable thumbs. What I find most effective is to push the trash can across the kitchen to the doorway where the tile meets the carpet. This allows me to tip the trash can over and knock the lid off. Then, of course, you have to sort through everything, so I like to spread it all out so I don't miss anything that I might be able to recycle.

When I'm finished, I feel a sense of accomplishment for having done my part to reduce waste by putting it back to good use. This is the definition of recycling, is it not? I'm doing a good thing. Then, mom gets home and she is furious! She tells me I've done something bad. She picks me up, and puts me in the bathroom while she puts the remnants of my recycling back in the trash can and uses the big noisy sucking machine they call the vacuum - I hate that thing. Worst of all, I don't get allowance that week! Some thanks for my contribution to environmental protection.

Nevertheless I intend to continue my efforts to make the world, if not my house, a cleaner place to live. But I only get an opportunity to recycle when somebody forgets to put the trash can on the kitchen counter before leaving me home alone. For some reason, that doesn't happen much lately.