Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Reduce the Recycling


In our national quest to proliferate the "three R's" (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) it seems that some entities assume we neglected to focus on the original three R's, particularly reading.

Consider this quote from the instruction packet for a LaserJet printer:

" [Company Name] is committed to providing inventive, high-quality products and services that are environmentally sound, from product design and manufacturing to distribution, customer use and recycling. When you participate in the [Company Name] Planet Partners program, we ensure your [Company Name] LaserJet print cartridges are recycled properly, processing them to recover plastics and metals for new products and diverting millions of tons of waste from landfills. Please note that the cartridge will not be returned to you. (Emphasis mine) Thank you for being environmentally responsible!"

How stupid do they think we are? If I am so naive as to expect my ink cartridge to be returned after they have recovered the plastic and metal from it then what gives anyone the hopeful idea I can figure out how to correctly apply the pre-addressed shipping label?

The potential consequences of this program could be devastating to an unsuspecting and unprepared populace. Someone might end up wearing the label on their shirt as a nametag, get abducted by the UPS, and end up taking a cargo ride to the recycling center. At least the trip would give them time to practice their reading comprehension skills.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey, you're funny.
I better be sure not to have a scanning label on my shirt.... might end up in some greeny place.... pretty sure it wouldn't be a broccoli farm.
-jenn

Lance said...

Probably Canada or North Dakota or Oregon...