Recycling

McMURDO STATION, ANTARCTICA

McMurdo is often touted as having the highest per capita fuel consumption on the planet. The fact that there as an entire town at the bottom of the world being run on diesel generators, with our yearly supply of goods arriving from the other hemisphere via boat and plane, is not exactly a point of pride. McMurdo has a couple of redeeming qualities, though. Thanks the efforts of our Kiwi neighbors, we now boast the southernmost wind farm, though it is sadly small at just three turbines. But at least it's a start.

McMurdo also recycles upwards of 70% of all of our waste, 100% of which is shipped off the continent. I can't imagine there are many cities in the U.S. that touch that rate of recycling. With dozens of categories of waste, it means taking out the trash is no quick task. Several kinds metal are separated, in addition to plastic, glass, food waste, and mixed paper among them. The array of dumpsters around town is staggering. This line of dumpsters is outside the Carpenters' Shop.

Oh wait, what's that red one say, you ask? Does that say "meat" ?

Why yes, yes it does.

No, we don't actually recycle our meat. This particular dumpster arrived one day along with the likes of glitter, dreams, romance novels, and ninja masks. It would seem that the waste crew has a sense of humor.