Using paper straws is a great idea. Speaking of environmental impacts, I also wish we could start recycling our junk mail at our postal stations in The Villages. I think the easiest way would be for them to remove all the waste containers, so there would be no place for people to toss the junk mail, and dog poop. People would have to take it home with them and hopefully recycle. I look at the existing trash receptacles, and see them all filled up with junk mail. What a waste.

Why are there no overhead photos of this garbage patch that is the size of France? Where is it exactly? With all the shots of stranded polar bears (caused by melting ice caps no doubt) you would think that someone would fly over this and get a good wide shot of this phenomena.

I wish that they would NOT get rid of waste containers at the mail station. I find that the waste containers are a good place to toss things and not litter the beautiful landscape that is an important part of MY happiness and I suspect that of others as well.

There are many pictures of it, although it is too large to get a whole shot, and it is apparently not visible from a spacecraft or satellite. One of the largest ones is in the Pacific Ocean off of Hawaii. Google it and then click on "Images" at the top of the Google results page, and it will bring up a myriad of images.


As a matter of fact, and I'm not saying this is a reason to disregard reducing consumer plastic waste, it is said that almost half of the patch contains fishing industry garbage. One quarter of the other half is from the Japan Tsunami.


This whole straw/plastic utensils drive will most benefit the individual states/countries that are adopting it.

I have never seen Villagers litter. To insinuate that without garbage receptacles at the postal area, Villagers would run rampant littering the landscape is IMHO, far fetched. People genuinely care about their hometown and how it looks. The place garbage receptacles is needed is at the neighborhood pools, in the pool area, where people might be lounging and eating snacks, etc. But if I take a walk up to the postal station, or walk my dog there, why would I need a garbage can? Do I bring garbage with me? I don't think so. Take a look at the containers and see what is in there. Primarily junk mail. And probably dog poop.

When I travel out to Seattle for example, the people there are trained to recycle. In the airport, the garbage containers are separated into bins, and people actually sort their garbage. The Villages is way behind the times when it comes to recycling. If the Villages was progressive thinking and wanted to be proactive as far as recycling, and there was really a concern about littering, the Villages could take a few postal stations, remove the garbage receptacles and do a trial run and see how it goes. I know environmental clubs have been making suggestions for many years, and have gotten shot down by the powers that be. Perhaps when Janet Tuttle's replacement comes in, an opportunity might arise to make the postal stations more environmentally friendly. In the meantime, it saddens me, and many others I'm sure, to see the tons of waste that do not get recycled at the postal stations.

If the trash cans at the mail boxes are not for junk mail, then why are they there? Mine has 5 trash cans. What am I supposed to put in them?

If they really want you to recycle, why do they only pick it up once a week? 90 percent of my trash falls into the recycleable catagory, which I think is probably the case for most people. And, those clear Glad bags I bought at Publix come apart when I try to fill them because the ties don't work. So, I end up using the white Hefty bags that have ties that actually function.

Whoa. I suspect I am in a race I didn't enter. And I am a great believer in global warming and SEE only U.S. support for making things better. Reuse, repurpose and recycle. Don't waste and use common sense.

I like Janet TUTT. A LOT.

Maybe if we didn't put anything in them, they wouldn't be there. They are there; so people do not take their junk mail home with them and recycle it.


It's a chicken/egg thing, I think. Someone has to break the cycle. I agree with the person who said if the cans were taken away, people would take their junk mail home and recycle it. And there wouldn't be any more dog poop in the containers if there are no containers.


It's not about anyone's personal happiness anymore, IMO. I believe if they took the trash cans away from the postal stations, people would not resort to throwing trash on the ground.

Yes but, the reason that they put the trash cans there is the reason we put trash can's anywhere. It is convenient to throw our trash there. Why make it political? We don't all agree on certain things. We live in site of our neighborhood mail drop. (one of the few small villages that has their own) We see a black pick up come and pick up the trash and take it away. Why is that not good? What difference does it make?

Can someone give me a specific example of how I can make use of the 5 trash cans located at my mailbox, that I am paying someone to empty? Should I start carrying chicken bones and left over fruit with me when I go to pick up my mail?

Now hold on. We all knew how much our fees were when we moved here. There have been no up charge or any assessments in ten years we have owned here. I cringe every time someone tries to fix what isn't broken. I don't understand how removing trash cans can help this green thing.

I'm well aware of the plastic retainers, they are horrible!
I always cut through each one before I discard them.
I agree, it would be much better to recycle cardboard holders.

The effort has been made to have one day of garbage pickup, to have recyclables also included from our driveways...so someone must care.

I mean really, how hard would it be to put a recyclable can as a test, instead of all regular garbage cans... at the postal stations? :oops:

I would even bet that the recyclable can would be (based on my personal observation that the regular cans are filled +-80% with the spam mail received)...by far the most used.

Once those who never want any improvements/changes made get over their irrational emotional issues, leave one regular garbage can...and add whatever additional recyclable cans that are needed.

Pretty simple actually. :ohdear:

It makes a lot of difference when people are discarding recyclables into trash cans.


Most postal stations are by a pool. There is a trash can by the pool, not far from the postal station, but far enough that people are not going to walk over to it to throw their junk mail, which should be recycled, into the trash can. Use the trash cans for trash; take your junk mail home and recycle it.


It's not political. It's environmental. Too many people think the environmental awarerness thing is political. I want this planet to still be around for my grandchild's children.