This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

90 Years in 90 Days: Gail Bash and Recycling in Cleveland Heights

90 photos that define Cleveland Heights

Cleveland Heights officially became a city in 1921. Cleveland Heights Patch is by compiling 90 photos to create an album of the city's past and present. We'll run the feature for 90 days, one photo at a time.

Today 's photo was contributed by Parker Zabell. It's a clip from an article that ran on May 28, 1992 in The Sun Press about Gail Kirschenbaum Bash, who was a dedicated recycler. Zabell sent this email:

"Growing up, my late mother used to collect all our recycling (trash to almost everyone else) and bring it down the city of Cleveland because there was no recycling in Cleveland Heights. People thought we were strange but to me, it has just been a part of life since I can remember. 

Find out what's happening in Cleveland Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We used to collect for our neighbors and then our friends/family would drop off bags in our back yard throughout the week. Eventually my mom would collect at , and pack her van, numerous times over with bags and bags of cans, plastic, and paper products and haul it down to the city recycling center. 

"This was a scene at Roxboro and as recycling grew in popularity, the amount of materials that were dropped off at Roxboro grew exponentially.  The best part was, she would get $20, $30, maybe $48.53 at the most and donate the money to the PTA each week.  This went on for years. Eventually, Cleveland Heights started a recycling program with trash collection and the rest is history."

Find out what's happening in Cleveland Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Bash's efforts were not in vain. Councilwoman Bonita Caplan talks about the city's successful recycling program during many City Council meetings, and this week marks the second annual , sponsored by Sustainable Heights Network. Participants dedicate seven days to lowering their carbon footprint. The week runs from Oct. 17 to 23.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Cleveland Heights