White Recycling

People or actions barely too affluent to be true White Trash, but still on the second-to-lowest rung relative to their larger community.

Often the PWT who live too close to a high rent city, like NYC, SF, Seattle, etc. i.e. White Trash of a slightly higher class and intelligence: instead of being a walmartian, they shop at Chez Target; instead of HS dropout they might have a useless art or history degree; instead of a trailer park, they rent a house in the lowest rent district of the burbs or are perpetual apartment lifers; instead of yard cars (aka PWT lawn ornaments) they have a broken down minivan in the driveway proper; they buy semi-organic food from Grocery Outlet or the food bank; they have a dead desktop computer in the garage rather than dead TV's; there are books mixed in with the pile of broken toys; they have 2 to 3 kids rather than a kitten's brood even though all their old friends have none or only one; they know how to cook things like Hamburger Helper and Take'nBake pizza. 'Cheap beer' consists of PBR and Session rather than Bud or Coors. Instead of aerosol cheese, they have pre-shredded 'mexican' cheddar. Demographics: moderate to blue state politics, college educated, Gen x or y, possible closet bigot, passive aggressive NIMBY attitude.

FYI:
Coined in Seattle in 2008, where recycling cans outnumber trash cans 2 to 1.

Jane:
You know my Seattle friends, Maddy and James? They aren't destitute yet, though since James was laid off they're getting closer and closer. I hear they sold their Prius and bought a used Hyundai and moved to a rented house in Burien.
Emma:
Yeah, and Maddy's working on their second child and took a second job at Papa Murphy's. She's like 38, isn't she?
Jane:

Yeah. They aren't white trash though. They both got degrees and have never seen a trailer park!
Emma:
Nope, they're White Recycling.

- - -

Joey: That fucking family of older stoners just let their kids run free in the toy aisle of Target - the place is a bit of a mess now.
Jenna: How terribly White Recycling of them.

*yells*
'Back to your exburbian rented rambler, White Recycling!'
... Oh, hey Joey! Look! Reduced Fat Nilla wafers are on sale!
Joey: Pot, meet Kettle.

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