“Everybody has a trash can,” is the opening sentence in a book by Amy Korst called “The Zero Waste Lifestyle.” Yes, everybody has a trash can but more importantly how many have a recycle bin?

Our recycle program is in peril here in Kalispell. Where we used to have recycle bins conveniently located in our neighborhoods at the middle and high schools, now our choices have diminished to two grocery stores, the landfill site and a couple of recycle companies. We still do not recycle glass items except at Target.

Recycling is a no brainer. Any age can participate across the boards: children, students, regular age folks and seniors! You can recycle at home, at work, at school. Not only that, but recycling contributes to a clean and environmentally active and responsible community. How hard is it to flatten boxes and put them in the bins at the grocery store? Or remove the labels from the food cans we use and put the clean cans and plastic drink bottles in a box to take to the nearest recycle spot on the way to work or school or play? Or to keep a plastic bag full of plastic bags to take to one of the grocery stores that recycle plastic bags?

As conscious members of our Kalispell community, it is an easy proposition to add a trash bin for paper products and cardboard products, and another for plastic, aluminum and tin cans and perhaps if we apply ourselves to it, we can increase our recycling community here.

And by the way, when you go to the recycle spot, keep it clean. Don’t leave bags of bottles sitting on the ground beside the recycle bin, put them in the bin — without the bag! Break down the boxes and put them in the slot rather than just piling them up in front of it. Why leave it for someone else to do?

Think about what you can do to change the world. I know I can’t stop the wars worldwide or feed all the hungry people, but I can take responsibility for a few things in my own life that make a change and maybe if I take responsibility, someone else will also make a change.

Here are the places you can still recycle here in Kalispell: Stop in and say thank you to these environmentally conscious stores and locations:

— Albertson’s in the parking lot behind the gas station: paper, cardboard, plastic and cans.

— Super 1 behind the store: paper, cardboard, plastic and cans.

— Target behind the store: glass only — the only place to recycle glass in Kalispell.

— Flathead County landfill on U.S. 93 between Kalispell and Whitefish.

— Valley Recycling on U.S. 2 across the side street from Office Max.

That’s all we have here in Kalispell central. So far… Let’s not lose any more of what we still have… Instead, let’s build on our beginning. This is the only planet we have. There is no Plan B.

Harding is a resident of Kalispell.