I confess, I am a bit of a hoarder. I’ve always been cognizant of the fact that I liked to keep things more than other people, but I didn’t realize that wasn’t OK until about the time I turned 20. One day it just dawned on me my stuff was just going to be here forever or until I decide to do something about it. Seems like a simple concept, but it was a revelation for me.

In the past seven years I have gotten a lot better at getting rid of things, but I’m still a work in progress. I have to say it feels so good to throw stuff in a recycling bin or to delete a bunch of email, but I get wary because no matter how much gets cleaned out it always piles back up again.

I was just cleaning off my desk Saturday of the constant clutter that enters my life so readily. Newspapers stack up day after day, and I struggle to take the time to do anything about it until I just can’t find anything. Plastic bags from stores begin to stack up for lack of energy or time to deal with them.

The amount of stuff we accumulate as humans is ridiculous, and even though I’m not keeping everything anymore, I’m certainly not just tossing it in the trash. I take recycling very seriously. I want to know that my waste will somehow benefit others and the earth and just not be all for not. I want to donate my clothes and give away my old toys and reuse things I forgot I had.

It might just be a shot in the void but I want it all to matter. I feel better when there is reason behind the actions we take. Regardless, having less things does makes me feel more free and light.

I wish Vicksburg had more recycling centers. I understand there were more drop off points and recently they were forced to close all but one because of people not using them the way they were intended with people tossing trash in them. I hate to see that much disregard for others, but it is a daily reality we much acknowledge.

So if we can’t have more drop off points, I wish the one we do have could accept more materials. Particularly metal cans, plastic bags and the paper cardboard that so many items we buy like food and medicine are contained inside. Currently, only certain papers and number one and two plastics are able to be recycled in Vicksburg’s solitary bin.

There could be a local place with better recycling options for this in which I am unaware of; I hope that is the case.

If we don’t take cleaning up the world seriously, there isn’t going to be much left for long. I know it’s hard to prepare for a future we may or may not ever see, but it’s important to try to do everything we can as minuscule humans to keep the world spinning. It would be great for Vicksburg to consider cost effective options for a better tomorrow, today.

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Alana Norris is a staff writer for The Vicksburg Post. You may reach her at alana.norris@vicksburgpost.com.