Sam Takes the Recycling Out After Dark

Hello. My name is Sam.

Today I will explain taking the recycling out after dark.

Recycling is when a thing is finished being one thing, but it may still have a future. A cardboard box used to hold crackers, shoes, or a small machine. Then the box becomes empty. Empty boxes still take up room, even when they have been good.

First, I flatten the box.

Flattening a box is how I help it understand the next part of its life. A box begins as a small room. Then it becomes a flat idea.

I carry the box to the door.

The door is where inside ends.

When it is dark outside, the same driveway becomes a different driveway. In the day, the driveway is concrete. At night, it is also concrete, but it has thoughts.

I turn on the porch light.

A porch light is a small sun that only cares about your house.

Then I step outside with the recycling. I hold the cardboard under one arm so the wind does not take it to a place where I would have to become a runner.

The recycling bin waits by the garage.

The bin is blue. Blue is a recycling color because the world has made some decisions. The garbage bin is usually a different color. This helps everyone know which container is for second chances and which container is for endings.

I open the lid.

The lid makes a plastic sound. It is not a loud sound, but at night every sound seems to fill out paperwork.

Inside the bin, there are other things. There is a rinsed can. There is a bottle. There is another piece of cardboard that has already accepted the program.

I put my flattened box inside.

This is the important part.

You do not just throw it near the bin. Near the bin is not the bin. The bin is the bin.

After I put the cardboard in, I close the lid. Closing the lid tells the night the errand is finished. It is just proper.

Then I look toward the street.

The street is quiet. A car goes by far away. A car at night always sounds like it knows where it is going, even if the person inside is only getting milk.

I walk back to the house.

When I go inside, the kitchen is still there. The counter has less cardboard on it. This is how a room becomes easier to be in.

I turn off the porch light.

The outside goes back to doing outside things.

That is taking the recycling out after dark. I hope you find your corner of the sky.