Verboticism: Environdimentia

'You can't put paper towels in the paper recycling!!'

DEFINITION: n. Anxiety created by an inability to understand or follow the regulations for recycling, composting and garbage collection. v. To feel confused and conflicted because you produce too much garbage and don't know how to get rid of it.

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Environdimentia

Created by: Tigger

Pronunciation: /en-vay-ern-di-MEN-shuh/

Sentence: On the point of crying, Lauren sat slumped between bins of plastic bottles and stacks of papers, in a state of environdimentia. She knew that the #1 and #2 plastics were supposed to go together, but there was also a bin for bottles with 'necks'... so then what did those numbers mean on the bottles with the necks? Then there were the plastic bags, and some were recyclable, but some weren't. There was also the newspapers, and she remembered something about not mixing in any shiny circulars and flyers, which were often stuck into the newspapers when they were sold. Why would they do that?! It all seemed so ecoillogical. Lauren's husband Gregg would be home soon, and he was an ecologist — he understood all the rules. But he couldn't seem to understand why Lauren didn't get it, and he'd be frustrated with her again. She really wanted to be a tree hugger, like he was, but with all these crazy rules she felt like more of a tree-shrugger.

Etymology: Environment - natural surroundings (from Old French, environ "in circle") + Dementia - madness or insanity (from Low Latin, démentāre "deprive of mind")

Points: 740

Comments: Environdimentia

silveryaspen - 2008-03-25: 12:45:00
I like the way you presented a different way of looking at this. Strong verboticism.