This, of course, is precisely why the viewing window at the Wasatch Integrated Waste Management District’s Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Davis County exists: so the public can come, stare and compare the astonishing machinations that turn recycled piles into sorted, useful, sellable bales versus the adjacent, stark, scoop-and-dump process that turns piles of garbage at the MRF into piles of garbage trucked to a landfill 92 miles away.

A few weeks ago, the MRF (rhymes with Smurf) held an open house where curious folks could stand at that viewing window trying to comprehend the vast amount of garbage and recyclables being processed. We then strolled catwalks above a labyrinth of noisy conveyor belts speeding along in multiple directions around and below, sorting giant piles of recyclable materials into metals, plastics and cardboard routed through a dizzying array of methods designed to scoop, flip, magnetize and even sort with bursts of air each item to its intended destination. Humans helped here and there, but the sheer genius and speed of the machinery was dizzying.

The tour guide for our group — we’ll call her Anna — answered questions such as what happens to the huge bales of cardboard, steel, aluminum and plastics that are the end product of the recycling process (they’re sold through a broker) and where does that festering garbage pile end up (in the Tekoi Landfill, 92 miles southwest of here, where it’s stored in a dry tomb, forever — or at least until a future generation comes up with something better to do with it).

On the heels of that grave thought, Anna introduced the MRF’s three R’s to address the problem: reduce, reuse and recycle. Reduce is the best answer, she explained. We consumers should make less, buy less and buy things that reduce how much garbage we create (think reduced packaging, for starts). We don’t have to throw away something we don’t produce, she said. Reuse is the second best answer: Repurpose, share or donate items we no longer need. Recycling is the third answer. The overarching goal, of course, is to keep as much as possible from going to the landfill.

So why, in the middle of the Christmas season, should we discuss recycling? Well, because we’re in the middle of the Christmas season. It’s the most consumering time of the year. Since we go on consumer hyperdrive during this season, we need to consider what parts of our Christmas are recyclable, starting with those delivery boxes, packages and pouches that pile up on the porch. Then there’s wrapping paper, gift boxes, cards, envelopes, ads, ads, ads, catalogs, flyers, many plastic items and much more. In a perfect world, all of those should end up in the MRF’s recycle pile — NOT that garbage pile.

Also, the landfill near the MRF accepts all those party-produced glass bottles at its glass collection bin and, at the season’s end, our used Christmas trees at its green waste site.

If we’re being crazy consumers, let’s at least consume responsibly. No matter where we live, we can recycle.

Anna’s enthusiasm for reducing, reusing and recycling is understandable. She’s my junior by a few decades. Her generation’s future is saddled with today’s trash. Every recycled can or cardboard box or detergent bottle buys a little time, a little space in our landfills. At the very least, let’s get all that awful cardboard out of that giant garbage pile and into the recycle pile.

The “R” in MRF stands for “Recovery.” We consumers are the prime resource for that. So while you’re searching for the perfect gift for that special someone, consider a brand-new recycling can. Put a big bow on top. Guaranteed to surprise the one you love.

‘Tis the season to recycle!

D. Louise Brown lives in Layton. She writes a biweekly column for the Standard-Examiner.