BECK’S
83recyclinginternational.com | March/April | 2023
Fotobijschrift
KADERKOP
??
Do the ISRI
If you have the chance, or can
find the time, go to Nashville in
April when the Institute of Scrap
Recycling ISRI holds its annual
convention and exposition
there. It’s a great time to mix
business with pleasure, as I have
experienced many times.
During my more than 25 years as editor
of Recycling International, I visited
numerous recycling congresses, conven-
tions and trade shows. The ISRI event
remains my all-time favourite and this
year it takes place from 17-20 April in
Nashville, Tennessee, the home of
country music. Recyclers from all over
the world attend the many sessions on
recyclable materials and other topics
and look over the hundreds of exhibi-
tion stands.
The first garthering I attended was, if I
recall correctly, in Las Vegas in 1989.
One of the first things I noticed was that
the delegates in the US were dressed
differently from those at European con-
ventions. In the ‘old continent’, the men
wore a suit and ties, while in America
people were in smart casuals or even
work outfits. During one of the sessions,
a [slightly] overweight man wearing
shorts and a Hawaiian shirt was sitting
with a bag with golf clubs alongside
him. After listening to the speaker for
about ten minutes, he turned in his
chair, looked at the audience and said in
a loud voice: ‘Anyone here wanna play
golf with me? This, guys, is so boring:
let’s get out of here’. That frankness
would be impossible in Europe.
In April 2007, After I had visited the ISRI
convention in New Orleans, I wrote a
viewpoint entitled ‘Boobs, beads and
bourbon’. After it was published in
Recycling International, I received a let-
ter from a woman in the US who was
grossly offended by the title because
she said it portrayed members of the
American recycling industry as a bunch
of renegaded male chauvinists. She
threatened to hire a lawyer, ordered me
to apologise to the industry and
demanded financial compensation for
the psychological damage I had inflict-
ed on her well-being. It proved that my
perspective is neither appreciated nor
understood everywhere.
Las Vegas, also known as ‘Sin City’, has
always been my favourite venue. Many
years ago, we went to a musical about
the band Frankie Valli & The Four
Seasons. I generally hate musicals but
this one was great. As we were making
our way out after the performance, we
saw a long queue for the second show
that night. As I passed the line, I noticed
a woman in her seventies dressed like
many other senior citizens in the US:
white sneakers, white socks, sky blue
shorts and a pink sweatshirt. She was
wearing thick, pink-rimmed glasses and
her greyish hair had a purple glow.
Having made eye contact, she shouted
at me: ‘How was it?’ ‘Absolutely fabu-
lous,’ I shouted back. ‘Better than fore-
play?’ she wanted to know. I retorted:
‘Can you remember foreplay?’ She gig-
gled and replied: ‘Not really. Christmas
comes around more often’. We both
shook with laughter and, as I caught up
with the rest of my party, they were
wondering why I was having so much
fun.
Perhaps I’ll now get another legal
letter.
Manfred Beck
‘ B e t t e r t h a n
f o re p l a y ? ’
83_becks.indd 83 15-03-2023 11:53
