Keep Pushing

It turns out that I'm not the only one who hasn't seen Colleen in a while. I noticed this evening that the boys next door (those who helped me collect all the cans when I first tried to find the can collector) had two recycling bins full of empties. Surprise, surprise. They go through a lot of cans. Actually, the real surprise is that no one had collected them. So I asked. 

The boys also have a friendly relationship with Colleen, however, not one of the six of them had seen her in the last few weeks. Colleen has actually worked out a deal with them. Apparently, it's not uncommon for full, unopened cans to find their way into the pile of empties, so she gives the boys the discarded full cans and they set out their empty cans for her. 

John "Woody" Woodrow said that she probably stopped collecting because it isn't worth the time. For a short time they stopped giving her their cans so they could doing the recycling themselves.Woody and boys apparently did not have as much luck as Jim Schroeder, "Mrs. Maintenance" (the mother from Minneapolis) or Charlotte Buck.   They thought that with the amount of cans that they go through, they could make some serious money. However, they only collected $13 for a full garbage can. It didn't take more than one week for them to decide it was not worth their time, and the cans again became free game for Colleen. 

Or at least free game for someone. It's certain that even if Colleen doesn't come, the cans still go. It just takes a bit more time. 

I'm going to continue to set out my cans for Colleen. Even though she hasn't been coming around, I know she appreciates seeing that garbage bag full of empty cans along the side of the house. Even if I never end up seeing her again, I hope she knows that my cans will always be there for her to collect as she continues to push the boundaries of recycling.