I agree wholeheartedly with the frustration of a previous writer who had gone to the Mercer Island Recycling Center only to find it unexpectedly closed.

Knowing that the hours are getting shorter, I spent quite a while today trying to determine whether I could take some items to the center. It turns out that the hours are not posted online (either under the Recycle Center itself or on the web page of Mercer Island High School, which runs the place). The phone number listed for the Recycle Center goes to a fax machine. I called the high school, but the person I spoke to (after leaving a voicemail and waiting an hour or so for a call back) had no idea of the hours or even who might know the answer to this simple question. She wasn’t even sure that the high school was involved in the center (as I’ve already said, they run it). She referred me to City Hall, which disavowed any connection with the Recycle Center and suggested that I call the high school. In the end, I had to load up my stuff and take a chance that I would be able to drop it off. Not surprisingly, the center was closed.

Seriously, folks: this is a resource for the Island and for the high school, and it’s clear that many of us are very frustrated in our efforts to use it.

RT Andrews