AlphaGazette #17: Legend of The Great Recyclers | SC17 – Gaia

Back in the dark, dusty days of the late twentieth century, when the air was thick with the sweet smell of exhaust, we drove cars the size of boats, wearing ties that were almost as wide. Meanwhile, Save the Environment was just getting started and we were told by cigarette-smoking pitchmen that the planet was doomed if we didn't start taking care of it, so everybody should collect all their soda cans and return them to the store for a nickel apiece (10c in MI). This was before companies had yet to take any responsibility for their massive role in environmental destruction, and were only just getting started with their efforts to curb pollution.

I vaguely remember the television ads with a crying Native American man standing in a field of garbage, and Give a hoot, don't pollute, was the mantra of the day. Other than tin cans, I don't recall much else in the way of actionable tasks we are supposed to attend to as responsible citizens, but then again, just getting people to stop throwing their garbage in the streets was a pretty big deal back then. Recycling eventually did take off, of course, and quickly became the minimum commitment within the emerging eco-friendly communities.

Since then, entire industries have been built on the promise of sustainable futures and recyclable-compostable-repurposed lifestyles. Today, this global industry can proudly proclaim that after decades of tireless work, microplastics are in everything, including our brains, and less than 25% of all recyclables DON’T end up in landfills. There’s a lot of blame to go around of course, not least of which belongs with all companies still using non-recyclable materials, but somebody will figure it out, right? Meanwhile, be sure to properly sort all your vaguely defined compostable recyclables, garbage, batteries, and other random items into the color-coded bins, supplied by your sanitation department and paid for by you.

Somewhere long ago, in some distant instance, somebody decided to create flying garbage scows by merging avian DNA with highly customized and very advanced robotic technology. Decades later, they have since grown, and evolved. Gaia, in a sense, is the golden retriever of her pack, friendly, yet protective.