(Image by Author)

There is a somewhat mysterious tower standing in the front of the Mariner’s Musuem in Newport News, VA and most people are perplexed when they come upon it. It is a large rectangle constructed from metal and rope and filled with numerous empty plastic drink bottles. Perhaps it’s a commentary on the amount of plastic that is filling up our landfills and how we should be mindful enough to recycle. There are no labels on the bottles and there are different colors and the caps are still on. I imagine that maybe the frame may wear out faster than the contents. Is that what it’s like in the landfill?

If I were to come back in a year, what will this structure look like? How about 5 years or even 10? I now hope that it is there for a good while because most things you hear these days are about being “Green” and recycling. In the meantime, on Thursday evenings there are music gatherings at the musuem right beside this structure. There are tents selling beer in plastic cups and another tent filling up styrofoam containers with barbeque sandwiches. I also see plenty of people sipping their water from the same types of plastic bottles that tower above them. Where does all this go? How much is produced in one popular evening? How about all summer long? This I ponder…