Saturday, March 28, 2009

Recyclable collected Thursday, March 26, 2009

  • 1 aluminum can (Steel Reserve lager)

In general, I try to avoid harming wildlife, even tiny critters like ants and spiders. I was therefore unsure what to do when I picked up the Steel Reserve can listed above and discovered that it was filled with spider web, a sign that it was likely inhabited by a spider. As an environmentalist, I felt obliged to take the can home for recycling, and as a protector of spiders, I felt obliged to put the can back down where I found it.

I settled for taking the can home, but making sure that the water I used to rinse it was plain, not soapy. (I rinse recyclables in water that has already been used for washing either hands or dishes.) The spider, still very much alive and kicking, ended up near the opening in the can, and was coaxed into a sealable plastic container similar to those I use for bulk foods. Spidey was then taken outside and left in an area with bushes similar to those the can had been resting under. I still feel a bit guilty for taking Spidey's home away, but hope that the bushes, fallen logs, and other vegetation he now has access to will prove to be an adequate substitute.

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