thedailytimes.com : Your 24/7 news source

I was in Baltimore for a meeting a couple of weeks ago and had the great fortune to have a hotel room with a view of Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team.

"Room with a view" might not do it justice. I was just beyond the center field fence, 12 floors up -- close enough to hear the crack of the bat and smell the hot dogs.

Did I mention that the room had a balcony?

For the Orioles' Tuesday night game, I invited several friends to share pizza and watch the game. Although I had a meeting that kept me from seeing much of the game, it was still a fun evening.

But this column really isn't about baseball; it's about recycling.

Recycling?

Yep. You see, the next morning, I watched as a swarm of workers cleaned up the stadium.

The game was not well attended at all, as it had rained hard just up until game time. Maybe 10 percent of the seats were filled. Yet the cleanup crew amassed a huge pile of trash in a very short period of time. The trash collected from a full stadium must be an incredible amount.

I know that there is at least some limited recycling done at Neyland Stadium but just imagine how much trash is generated there.

I can remember watching college games and then collecting the perfectly good plastic cups that remain. Until recently, half the cups in our cabinet were of that variety. Then I read about the really great recycling efforts at the recently completed Bonnaroo. If that group can recycle, then anybody can.

Do you recycle? It really is easier than you can imagine. One container for each item you recycle is really all you need to get started.

We have separate containers for aluminum, plastic, glass, newsprint and mixed paper. We monitor closely what goes into our trash can.

You would be amazed how much plastic each of us puts into the local landfill. Plastic is something that is easily recycled.

But recycling is only a part of the picture in reducing the amount of trash we put in the landfill. We really need to start at the point of purchase to make better decisions.

We've got a really great group called Keep Blount Beautiful that spearheads efforts on multiple fronts to make our county something we can all be proud of. The Web site points out several other important strategies. Is individual packaging necessary? Is it disposable (to be avoided)? Is it made from recycled materials? Does the packaging include Styrofoam (bad)? Is it recyclable?

If you attend a game or maybe an event like the Foothills Fall Festival, think about the trash that you are generating and then take steps to minimize that.

It's a nice step to always dispose of your own trash but how about taking it home and recycling it instead?

Just like most social responsibilities, this one starts at home.

Joe Black, PT, DPT, SCS, ATC is a physical therapist and athletic trainer at Total Rehabilitation and is Manager of Outpatient Rehabilitation for Blount Memorial Hospital. Write to him at joeblackdpt@gmail.com.