Le Recyclage en Vacances: # 3. Don't peak too soon

Our cabin is nestled amongst rolling green hills in the Alpine countryside, surrounded by fir trees and open fields, where a herd of cows is busy grazing. The tinkling of their cowbells, broken only by the sound of mooing, provides the most idyllic soundtrack to our spectacular view.

Across the valley, a range of tree-lined mountains greets our eyes, with their snow-capped peaks poking up through the low-lying clouds. The real icing on this Alpine cake is the glacier that emerges from the distance. Its beauty lies before us like a lady in the prime of her life.

The skies are so blue. The air is light and so fresh and it really feels like we are close to space.

Like a scene from a movie, I can hear the director shout "cut" and change the shot to Almost Mr Average stood happily in the kitchen.

Mr A is smiling.

He's happy because having spent a few days living with piles of potential recycling cluttering the small worktop, he's decided he can just bung 'em in the bin with the rest of the rubbish.

"Happy days", he thinks.

He's waited patiently for me to suss out the system and it is good news that in our holiday village we can recycle glass, paper, batteries and PET bottles.

But sadly there's no place for Tetra paks, plastic containers, fruit bags or kitchen waste.

So after months of battling against my defences, Mr A is taking a real holiday.

He's even refused my extreme request to take the containers back to England and is merrily bunging stuff in the bin, no matter what!

I think Mr A loves the Swiss town of Leysin. I think he wants to stay, not because of the beautiful and dramatic views but for his new-found freedom.

Until I wipe the smile off his face!

And shout

"Don't throw away that bread!"

Puzzled, he looks at me in disbelief.

Yes...for some peculiar reason, even though we can't save the rest of the rubbish, we can recycle stale bread!

So director, please cut back to the views of the Alpine peaks, whose beauty could make even a grown man cry!

Better to show Mr A crying over over a sight like that than being beaten in a comedy manner with the remains of a stale baguette!



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