Anything conceived of by a group of people or even one person, that benefits society and the world as a whole is worthy of being lauded. In the case of the USAgain textile recycling drop off at Hy-Vee, the effort is both an effort to help people and help the planet. The green and white bins sitting in the north end of the Hy-Vee parking lot is a place where people can drop off gently used textiles — clothes and shoes. In turn these items are then exported to struggling countries as a mode of generating revenue that also creates green jobs. Founded in 1999 in Seattle, Washington, the company’s goal is to create a cycle of use and reuse that its website says will, “conserve precious natural resources and limit the emission of greenhouse gases to fight Global Warming and the Climate Crisis.” The drop off is convenient and provides a place for people to drop off these items, knowing that they will be put to a greater cause. However, it’s not uncommon to see a variety of other objects next to these bins ranging from old, non-working kitchen items to broken or neglected toys. Sometimes, these items are found in the bins, but other times they can simply be found sitting next to the bins, nothing more than garbage. It’s important to understand that these bins are not for recycling as a whole, nor are they an extension of a landfill. We’ve got those places. Many of those things we term as needing to be recycled can be brought to the Mower County Recycling Center and garbage to be thrown away can be taken to the Austin Transfer Station or other such places. The bins of USAgain are for a specific purpose and that’s helping other people and helping the planet. If we treat it as just another place to dump anything we believe can be recycled or trash, then we are simply misusing it and any time you misuse something there is the inherent risk of losing that. This is a good thing that’s being done. Please, let’s use it for its intended purpose. For a list of those items USAgain accepts, please visit: https://www.usagain.com/find-treemachine. You will also see those items that aren’t accepted. Please, by all means continue giving if you have in the past, but remember a little bit of common sense goes a long way. The post Our Opinion: Use recycling bins for what they are purposed for appeared first on Austin Daily Herald. ...read more read less