Spring is here. The sky is a clear, lovely blue. The Reston Farmers Market is open and bustling with festive shoppers. Flowers are blooming all around us. Yet, as we walk the sidewalks, plazas, and the pathways around our lovely lakes, it is also hard to miss the unsightly plastic bottles and aluminum cans strewn along the walkways, in the yards, and worst of all, floating in our beautiful lakes. Once in our lakes, the bottles and cans detract from the natural beauty while wreaking havoc on the habitat of the fish, amphibians, and birds. And, they last forever. Why is it that Reston, of all places, is having a hard time figuring out how to recycle bottles and cans in our public places? Not all places have basic trash receptacles, but most do. But, rarely do you see recycle receptacles for cans and bottles beside them, as has long been the practice throughout Western Europe and in recent years in metro Washington. If you have clearly marked, decent looking receptacles side by side, people can learn not only to use them, but also to distinguish the two different kinds of refuse and deposit them accordingly. Reston Association is responsible for public areas along our pathways and around our lakes, pools, picnic and recreation areas. Fairfax County is responsible for public areas around our schools and community centers. The remainder of our public areas, village and commercial centers, are the responsibility of management companies or condo associations. Reston Association generally does a better than the others at recycling on common areas, but frankly RA falls short of the standard we should expect. Fairfax County does almost no recycling on school grounds—cans and bottles are evidence of their low standard. Worst are the village and commercial centers, including those located closest to our lovely lakes. That is, the areas that generate the most cans and bottles invest the least in collecting and recycling them. The time for action is long overdue. Reston Association, which aspires to be more than a run-of-the-mill homeowners association, should take the lead, by setting an example and setting the standard for recycling community wide. I recently surveyed RA common areas and found that many recreation areas (tennis, b-ball, baseball, soccer) have no recycling receptacles or substandard ones, e.g., cans-only or ones that are inconveniently located. There are none along the dams by our lakes or along the 55 miles of RA pathways. Receptacles are rare but sorely needed in picnic and pool areas. RA says that when swimming pools open, there will be recycling inside pool areas. Fairfax County has minimal, poorly located recycling inside its community centers, but almost none on their perimeters. School grounds have cans and bottles, but no recycling equipment. The management companies and condo associations responsible for village and commercial centers provide virtually zero recycling on their plazas and public areas located closest to the sources of offending plastic bottles and aluminum cans. Only in Reston Town Center are there bare beginnings of recycling in public areas. RA, it really is up to you! The Association should establish, publicize and help to implement a community-wide policy for the placement of recycling receptacles co-located with regular trash receptacles in all commercial areas covered by the Reston covenants. Fairfax County facilities and our Metro stations should be held to the standard, too. Surely America’s No. 1 planned community of 60,000 inhabitants, about to have its own Metrorail service, can figure out how to recycle its cans and bottles!