By way of introduction, Mr. Bottle is a #1 recyclable plastic bottle who was delivered to the C.G. Roxanne water plant west of Norman as a single serving container for our pure water. Bob is being interviewed by Dee Card
DC Good afternoon Mr. Bottle. Thank you so much for agreeing to be interviewed.
BB Well thank you for having me. I am flattered that you would even ask. We water bottles don’t get much attention. Everyone just takes us for granted, unless somebody is using us to litter up the scenery. And, if you would, my last name isn’t really Bottle. You see as a recyclable plastic I can take on many forms through my lifetime. You can just call me Bob.
DC Ok, Bob it is. Can you tell me a little about yourself?
BB Well I am a type of plastic called PET plastic. Us PETs get used in a lot of plastic food containers. This is my 3rd trip through as a bottle. I have been lucky on that score. You see all PET water bottle are recyclable which means you can use us, turn us in, we get melted down and turned in to new bottles. The sad fact is most people don’t turn us back in when we are empty. They throw us in the trash and we end up in the landfill. That nearly happened to me the last time. If you end up in the landfill that is the end of the line. I would just end up sitting in the dark taking up space for years and years. I imagine that would be very lonely.
DC My goodness Bob, can you tell us what happened?
BB I was out on the west coast as a soda pop bottle. Some guy bought me, drank all my contents, and then just threw me down on the sand like common litter, I have to be honest, the beach was beautiful but the thought of ending up deep in the ocean and maybe getting eaten by a turtle or a whale or something was scary! Not good for the turtle or whale either. Then some little kid came along, grabbed me up and used me to build sandcastles. That was fun. When he was done his Mom was gathering up all the papers and empty food wrappers when she turned around and scooped me up too. She tossed me in a recycling bin on the way to their car. That was a relief. I hung out with a few friends until a guy came and carried us back to a recycling center. Then we got sent to a manufacturer who melted us all down and made us in to water bottles. From there I got shipped here to Arkansas to the CG Roxanne plant and filled with water. I have to say, you have some beautiful country here but goodness I have never seen so many poor discarded bottles just lying around in places they shouldn’t be. That kind of makes me sad.
DC Thank you Bob. We love our pretty country too, and the bottles littering the ground make us sad as well. That is why I asked to interview you. We hoped that if you tell your story, maybe more bottles would get tossed in the recycling bin and not the trash bin, You said earlier that you can be recycled in to things other than bottles. Can you tell me more about that?
BB Sure, recycling is getting turned back into something like another bottle that can be melted, formed and turned in time after time. Any plastic container that has a #1 or #2 on the bottom can be recycled Great when it happens, but the truth is most people just don’t understand how easy it is to make that happen. Then there is something called downcycling which means we get turned in to something but as something that probably won’t get recycled again. That means eventually we do take a trip to the landfill.
DC Can you give me some examples of downcycling.?
BB Sure, we can be made in to clothing, jackets, insulation, lawn furniture, plastic parts for lawn care equipment, even artificial turf. Just think someday I could be on the 50 yard line at the Super Bowl. Wouldn’t that be exciting! Or I could end up as carpet or even clothing like sweatshirts and stuff. Sometimes those items do get recycled but not as often as bottles do. I don’t mean to be rude but can we wrap this up? I am about to miss my ride to the recycler. I have heard good things about the Howard County Children’s Center, Those people really know their stuff and they are nice.
DC Sure. Thanks for sharing your story. Good luck Bob.
BB Anytime.
Postscript.
The above interview was done earlier this year. Last week I was shopping in Mena looking for a new pair of jeans and heard a voice.
Bob Lady! Hey writer lady, over here.
DC Over here where?
Bob Ya, those soft yellow jean leggings you are looking at, ya, well check the tag on the hip pocket.
DC This item made from recycled plastic bottles, what? Wait, Bob? Is it really you.
Bob Yup, it’s me writer lady. Why don’t you buy me and give Bob a good home?
DC Small problem Bob, you are not the right size. Sorry.
Bob It was a thought, I have some friends who are the right size, you could give them a good home.
DC Depends, do they talk too.
Bob Nope, they are the silent type
DC Just a little curious, how many of you does it take to make a pair of leggings?
Bob T shirts take 6 to 10 bottles. Leggings about the same.
DC You talked me in to it Bob. Those leggings are very soft. Hard to imagine they used to be water bottles.
Bob Good. Maybe Bob will see you around again sometime, writer lady.
DC I hope so Bob. I really do.
