Every summer, Oklahoma State U. students disappear from Stillwater.
Sure, some stay behind, taking truncated summer courses so they might graduate earlier—or heck, even on time.
For many, however, we abandon ship for internships in distant cities, Jack Kerouac-esque road trips across the country, backpacking adventures across Europe or even for the familiar confines of the small town many of us left behind to attend college here at OSU.
With less than a year and only a thesis staring me in the face before I graduate with my MA in Screen Studies, I chose to leave Stillwater for a move to Oklahoma City.
I grew up in a suburb of Oklahoma City, a place that granted its citizens a view of the downtown OKC skyline. From Midwest City, I could see what remained of a skyline decimated by poor planning decisions in the seventies when the city demolished many of its historic buildings.
That was the past.
In no less than three weeks since I’ve moved here, the City has put on its annual Paseo Arts Festival and hosted the 78th Annual Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors where OKC Mayor Mick Cornett had the honor of listening to mayors across the country applaud the recent success story that is the revitalization of downtown Oklahoma City.
Just days ago, I left my Jefferson Park apartment to pick up a pizza only to see Flaming Lips’ leader singer Wayne Coyne at a nearby intersection, his white shades on and his car windows down.
And as I drove down Classen Boulevard, I saw banner after banner advertising proudly the upcoming 23rd annual gay pride festival and parade, a pleasant and subtle reminder that the times they are a changin’ for OKC.
So imagine my surprise when I called the City of Oklahoma City on Monday to procure my very own recycling bin — Little Blue as the city calls it — only to learn that buildings with more than four apartments are prohibited from partaking in a new city service nearly all my neighbors on my street enjoy.
I live in an historic building, a small octoplex and that’s eight too many even though we each have our own Big Blue trash bin.
On the city’s website regarding curb-side recycling they write, “If you
want to help the environment and hold down landfill costs, or just save room in your big Big Blue, you’ll like our weekly curb-side recycling service.”
“Just put your recyclables into your Little Blue and place it at the curb by 6 a.m. on the same day as your regular trash service.”
After that brief message, there’s a number to call and so I did only to hear the bitter sting of rejection.
So, I made another call — this time to my city councilman.
An understanding voice answered on the other end, explaining the situation — the city is currently negotiating its contract with the company who does the recycling to see about adding apartments to its pickup, something the company currently refuses to do.
That voice explained that he agreed with my suggestion, especially since he’s noticed what I’ve noticed: that many young college grads and young professionals move to the city and choose an apartment, delaying the purchase of their first starter home.
Why leave us out of the recycling gig, particularly when it seems just as easy to pick up a Little Blue from in front of our building as it is the buildings/houses next to us?
Could they not simply provide four recycling bins and let the eight of us share? Or is impractical and absurd bureaucracy worth the preservation?
Last Monday I attended an advance press screening of the marvelous “Toy Story 3,” a thoughtful mediation on how we discard without care and one complete with a terrifying climax in a landfill.
On the way home, “Toy Story 3” and its themes still on my mind, I drove by the site downtown where the city is building the new Devon skyscraper, expanding downtown westward and the skyline upward.
It is the future learned from the past.
The future looks bright for OKC, brighter still once the city frees Little Blue from its ridiculous shackles.