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FireFox31
Joined: 18 Nov 2004 Posts: 2 Location: North East, USA
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Posted: Thu Nov 18, 04 1:34 am Post subject: Reduce and Reuse; the practical recycling |
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Here's a bit of a rant containing opinion, ideas, and other thoughts on the subject of reducing and reusing, the practical forms of recycling.
I've been taking much of my waste to the recycling center for 18 years. However, I've heard about and seen so much recycling go straight to the dump that I've lost faith in the system. How do we know our carefully sorted (and, in my case, hand delivered) recyclables aren't just going to the trash?
While I recycle what I can, I have increased my focus on Reducing and Reusing my waste. Here is a stream of tips that may or may not be helpful.
I suspect that if we reduce our intake, demand for products will decrease and production will decrease, thus raw materials and energy can be saved. This is my only hope for a "reduce and reuse" effort.
Paper has two sides. Don't throw it away untill both sides have been used. If you take discarded paper that's printed on one side, you've essentially gotten free paper.
You get all sorts of other reusable materials for free every day. Manilla envelopes and padded envelopes are expensive, but people send you stuff in them all the time. Same with shipping boxes, packing noodles, bubble wrap, etc. Saving and reusing this stuff is easier than going to the store and buying more, and cheaper too.
Junkmail is a horrible waste, so why not stop it before it even comes to your house? When you receive a catalog or credit card offer, call the company that sent it and ask to be removed from their lists. It actually does work, even for credit card offers!
Don't buy cheap products that will break and wear out easily. Spend the extra money and buy quality products. You'll support producers of quality goods (which are rare) and generate less waste because it will last longer.
Demand bulk packaged goods. You'll pay less, get less packaging, and not support producers of bulky wasteful packaging. Stores will stop buying those individually wrapped items when they see that only the large cases are selling.
"Paper or plastic" grocery bags? Neither; bring your own cloth bags. While on vacation to the Czech Republic, I found their grocery stores don't give you bags because you are expected to bring your own. If the store doesn't let you, say you're saving them money on bags; they only understand the "bottom line."
Oh, one thing that's important to recycle: printer toner and ink cartridges. While it's more expensive to recycle paper than to cut down new trees, it's FAR cheaper to put new toner in a cartridge than to buy a new one. Sending cartridges to recyclers can actually get you product rewards, and buying from recyclers is MUCH cheaper.
And the typical reducion tips: Turn off lights and appliances when not in use and don't drive an SUV.
Maybe this rant is not helpful on this board, but maybe it is. Reducing and reusing is practical downsizing because it easily saves you money. |
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sean Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 42219 Location: North Devon
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jema Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 28236 Location: escaped from Swindon
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mrutty
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 1578
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Bugs
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 10744
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Posted: Thu Nov 18, 04 8:55 am Post subject: Re: Reduce and Reuse; the practical recycling |
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FireFox31 wrote: |
You get all sorts of other reusable materials for free every day....
Don't buy cheap products that will break and wear out easily. Spend the extra money and buy quality products.... |
First, I agree with your points, so I'm not trying to start a fight!
The problem for me with the first is trying to find places to store stuff. I'm aware of one or two fantastic schemes across the country called Community Scrap Schemes or the like, which take all sorts of useful bits, then let schools, scout groups and others of that ilk, come in and help themselves. That would be an ideal solution because I personall don't get round to using all the bits and pieces I get sent - for example, seeds often come in Jiffy bags but I never get around to using them and in the end I've wound up throwing them out through lack of space (and our house is no minimalist haven!).
The problem with the second is trying to find real quality products. Because we don't tend to buy a lot, we do have the money and will to spend when it's something worthwhile - but trying to work out which will genuinely last longer is very difficult - price is no guide.
Still, I suppose as the "about us" bit says, it's very difficult to be perfect, the thing is to keep trying. |
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jema Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 28236 Location: escaped from Swindon
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tahir
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 45673 Location: Essex
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cab
Joined: 01 Nov 2004 Posts: 32429
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tahir
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 45673 Location: Essex
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sean Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 42219 Location: North Devon
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tahir
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 45673 Location: Essex
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Gervase
Joined: 17 Nov 2004 Posts: 8655
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tahir
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 45673 Location: Essex
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Treacodactyl Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 25795 Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
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wellington womble
Joined: 08 Nov 2004 Posts: 15051 Location: East Midlands
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Posted: Fri Nov 19, 04 11:10 am Post subject: |
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I too have problems with storage, but more often with memory and time - lack of in both cases. I do think of new uses for things - keep things like shoe boxes, and now have a collection that I don't really know what to with. But mostly its memory and space. I bet I've got loads of christmas paper in the loft left fom last year, but I will send all my Christmas presents out, before we put the tree up and therefore get all the stuff down, so I'll buy new stuff. This year I bought quite un-christmassy paper, and used it all year for birthdays and things - no-one noticed.
Often it's the amount of junk as well - I make flour and compost scoops out of old milk cartons, but there's only so many I need! Also I save things, and then forget I've got them, and so buy new ones anyway.
Can anyone think of a use for wine bottles - we send a lot of those for recycling! |
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