Petr Honcu has been nominated to be Chelmsford’s next Recycling Champion for September 2009. Listening to him talk for just a few minutes, it becomes abundantly clear why. Our interview began with Petr’s description of his parents’ life in Nazi occupied Czechoslovakia. This experience taught people not to waste anything. Even food—cuts of meat, for example, that would end up in the trash today were too valuable to waste and were made into something edible. During Petr’s childhood, rubbish was collected from their two-family After leaving Czechoslovakia in 1968, Petr settled in western Canada. Petr was shocked to learn from his new neighbors that trash was collected once a week. He could not imagine why—until he saw the large amounts of rubbish being placed out for weekly collection by his neighbors. For a short time in Canada, before his career as a newspaper photographer, Petr worked at Labatt's Brewery where glass bottles were collected, washed and reused. Petr continues to collect and return deposit bottles on a regular basis to this day. Petr is troubled by the wastefulness of our society and the excess packaging on so many products. He noted that for people here, waste has become normal, but that that is not true for people elsewhere in the world. He described his travels to some of the world’s poorest places where people continue to live as his parents did—using everything up completely and making very little waste. To limit his own waste as well as consumption, Petr seldom buys anything new that he can get used. His favorite "department store" is the St. Vincent DePaul Thrift Shop on Merrimack St. in Lowell. He brings his unwanted, but still in good condition, clothing and household items to the shop and at the same time has picked up some great bargains there. Waste is also not “normal” for Petr. His household of two puts only two or three plastic grocery bags of trash at the curb each week. They recycle all of their paper and their containers, and they compost their organic waste. Until being slowed down recently by knee surgery, Petr had a regular circuit he walked, picking up trash, bottles and cans along the way. He would sort what he collected and recycle or return the containers. In his case, recycling really does pay—Petr has pocketed over $200 from returned bottles he has picked up on his walks though the neighborhood this year so far! In addition to having excellent “reducing, reusing, and recycling” habits, Petr is also concerned about wasteful fuel consumption. While he has a car, he currently does his local traveling on a moped which gets about 90 mpg. The moped seats two and has plenty of storage capacity beneath the seat. Petr also described his brother’s vehicle in Prague—a Czech made Skoda turbo-diesel station wagon that’s about ten years old and gets 50 + mpg, fuel economy unheard of here except in expensive new hybrids. Petr explained that because fuel prices are high in Europe, people conserve it, drive fuel efficient vehicles, and rely on the well maintained public transportation system. Petr also bemoaned the use in this country of remote car starters. As an executive driver and chauffeur, Petr is keenly aware of the state law that limits vehicle idling to 5 minutes, and he points out that remote car starters contribute to violations of that law, waste fuel and increase air pollution. Petr described a visit he once made to WBUR in Boston where the Magliozzi brothers (Tom and Ray of “Car Talk”) expounded on the damage done to catalytic converters by excessive idling. Petr also described areas where he used to live in Canada where winter temperatures regularly reached -40˚F. It is difficult to sympathize with people here wasting fuel and polluting the air to warm their cars during our comparatively mild winters. When asked for ideas on how we could improve Chelmsford’s Recycling Program, Petr said it would be better if recyclables were collected every week, although he understood that that is an expensive option. As for ideas on what individuals can do to make the recycling program work better, Petr pointed out that if residents took just a few moments to flatten their plastic jugs and other containers, they would be able to store a lot more recyclable material in their bins and recycling barrels while awaiting the every other week pick-up. Flattening the containers would also mean that more material would fit in the truck, resulting in fewer trips back and forth to the recycling facility. Although it may cut into his "recycling profits," Petr also suggests that people carry a bag with them when they walk and pick up discarded recyclables on their way. They can help keep the environment clean while contributing to recycling efforts. Petr has traveled long and far since his upbringing in Czechoslovakia, but it is clear that he continues to practice the good habits he learned there. His perspective should be an eye-opener for all of us. We should all be shocked, for example, at the amount of waste a typical household generates each week. We should take responsibility for our neighborhoods and pick up litter as we go for our walks. We should drive—and idle—less, and compost and reuse everything we can. Mostly, we should stop viewing waste as normal. The Chelmsford Recycling Committee is pleased to recognize Petr Honcu as Chelmsford’s Recycling Champion for the month of September 2009. He will receive a gift certificate graciously donated by Fishbones restaurant in appreciation of his efforts. We hope every resident can make similar efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle. All our efforts together will save the town money and improve the environment! Do you ynow a Recycling Champion? The CRC is accepting nominations for Recycling Champions and will interview nominees to evaluate their skills. Each month the CRC will publish a new Champion's recycling story and tips. To nominate please send the name, address, and a few words about your nominee's recycling prowess to: recyclingchampion@comcast.net. Article written by Jennifer Almeida, Chelmsford Recycling/SW Coordinator |
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house about once a year. His father would arrange for a fellow with a horse-drawn wagon to come and remove the pile, which consisted mostly of ashes from the coal stoves. From his pharmacy, also housed at their home, Petr’s father sold mineral water in glass bottles. The deposit on the bottle was more than the cost of the mineral water itself, so that everyone had a great incentive to return the bottle for the deposit. The bottles were then washed and reused.