Mommy Greenest

For countless eons, moms have been nagging us to take the trash out, so it should come as little surprise that they're also among the most ardent recyclers. What is surprising is that, according to a recent study, homemakers are more ecologically aware than what is often assumed to be the “greenest” demographic: college students.

Scientists at the University of Granada assessed the recycling skills of around 500 university students and 150 homemakers. Based on that survey, researchers found that the homemakers were more likely to separate glass from their garbage than college students, despite those students identifying themselves as environmentally conscious. The researchers attribute the disparity to the comparative ease of dropping recyclables in a curbside bin, whereas students often live in dorms or apartments and must make a greater effort to recycle.

An alternate theory suggests the students, like, totally forgot.
Source: Scientific American

A Grave Situation

Garbage haulers generally know more about putting trash in the ground than people, but when Parsippany, N.J., garbage truck driver Robert Hummer discovered a grave marker in the back of his truck, he knew something was up. Hummer, who was operating the truck's unloader manually due to ice, spotted the stone tumbling out into the landfill along with other debris. Wading through the trash to get a better look, he discovered that the granite slab belonged to Korean War veteran James F. Fetten of Brick Township, N.J., who had died only five months earlier at age 75.

Hummer, himself a former Marine, was determined to discover why the headstone wound up in the trash. He tracked down a phone number for Fetten, but, perhaps unsurprisingly, found no one home. With the help of his sister, he was able to contact Fetten's son Robert, who confirmed that the marker had been stolen shortly after his father's funeral. Happy to have it returned, the younger Fetten said the stone will be reinstalled to mark James Fetten's grave, which hopefully is located far from any trash receptacles.
Source: The Express-Times