Sesame Street’s beloved binman always sets a noble example by reusing junk, even past its ‘Best Before’ date.
You’re literally very green.
Yes. It’s not easy being green.
How have you made your home, the garbage can, more environmentally friendly?
I like to call it the trashcan rather than the garbage. Trash is much more important to my thinking. Garbage is something you didn’t finish eating whereas trash is wonderful things like wheels from a baby buggy or an old hubcap.
What makes recycling fun?
Well, for one thing I have this great love for trash, so it’s kinda fun to see what’s been thrown in the bin. And I sort through it. I roll in it. I toss it up and dance in it. Like, some of the lighter stuff, it floats down all over my head, so I finally have trash allllll over the booooody.
So what kinds of things to do you reuse?
I like things that are, like half of a sled with no runners – that’s good trash. I reuse a lot of stuff. Of course, you have to get new food. Food is part of the problem with trash, but it’s not my greatest interest.
Are you and Slimey the Worm still into composting?
Yes, we are. Lots of stuff isn’t great to eat anymore but it’s made out of vegetation, so we throw it in with some leaves that have to be swept up anyway. We put it in a thing that’s good for composting. I was reading something interesting the other day: Many of the earthworms we have now were ones that should not have been imported from Europe and they’re quite harmful. They eat the roots of some of your vegetables.
How do you explain the importance of recycling?
It’s good for kids to realize that they’re all part of the community. The world is a great big community. I think a lot of kids seem to be very interested and aware that they’re part of making the world a better place.
What’s your least favourite non-recyclable product?
Batteries. They have to be disposed of very carefully.
