05/22/2026
"Why do you mention the recyclables ♻️ in your event recaps?"
A few reasons, but most importantly we practice principles, and would fall under 'disposing of waste properly' as there are no services for recycling at the rec sites.
We also want to minimize our impact. Collecting plastic beverages bottles, aluminum cans, and glass bottles (glass is prohibited 🚫 as it's a serious safety issue when broken) and diverting these items from the landfill makes sense. Unfortunately if these items are discarded improperly, tossed in the river to fill with silt & debris, they will not be accepted for recycling. 🫤
We are also able to cash in on the aluminum recycling and purchase additional supplies like gloves, carabineers, lightweight trash grabbers, magnets, buckets, and a used wagon for our water & land based cleanup events. That's a WIN, WIN, WIN, scenario! We'd like to give credit to Litter Critters AZ for coming out to River Rangers events and providing the insight on the best way to go about recycling these items.
Lastly, we do segregate the vapes that are discarded as we don't want to see a garbage truck fire out on the lower Salt River due to e-waste being tossed in the dumpsters.
Hopefully that explains why we talk about recycling ♻️ and though it often doesn't add up to an impressive weight, we still think it's a noteworthy positive impact in our efforts. 🚣♂️
Have a safe & relaxing Memorial Day weekend!
