Recycling is one of the things that is near and dear to my heart. What is the importance of recycling? Well, if we don’t start taking care of this planet we live on, it won’t be worth living on anymore.
That’s one reason I like the Grab and Go system so much – there is no waste to throw away. The United States has a huge problem with its garbage.
This is also a global problem, as there is a garbage patch of plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean that is the size of the state of Texas! It is devoid of any sea life, because it can’t sustain it.
Fortunately, I see signs that this is changing and I am greatly heartened by that. “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” is coming back into vogue again. There is a rising movement towards decluttering people’s lives and existing by the motto “live simply, that others may simply live.”
Frugality is coming back with the slogan “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.” The bad economy has had a lot to do with it, of course, but I say it’s about time!
My town of Dawsonville has a wonderful recycling program with a dumpster that is under a shelter so that you can bring recyclables even in the rain. You don’t have to divide things up anymore either which makes it easier too. They somehow separate things out later with fans, magnets and other systems.
The program accepts office paper, newspaper, junk mail (even with inserts), magazines, phone books, glass bottles and jars, (all colors), plastic items numbered 1-7 (check the bottom for the number), aluminum beverage cans and steel/tin ones, chipboard: cereal type boxes (please remove the plastic liner) and cardboard, flattened where possible. Please remove all food residues from any item you bring (pizza boxes are not accepted).
For a very informative article on what happens to these items through the recycling process, you may go to this site:http://www.wholeliving.com/article/sorting-it-out. Recycling is so importance because it really does help the environment in many ways.
For an excellent guide to healthier food uses of plastics with a Smart Plastics Guide, go to this web site address: This will tell you what each of those numbers mean and how each one can affect your health and that of your family.
It also mentions the dangers of Bisphenol A (BPA) and DEHA and what they can do to your body. In addition, it offers tips for avoiding these and tells you how to use plastic safely.
One of the important recycling advantages is that you don’t have as much trash to put out. For most people, it’s no big deal, but if you live out in the boondocks like I do, it makes a huge difference.
We have to take our garbage to the dump and pay 50 cents per bag for it. Because I recycle, it takes me at least a month to gather enough other trash to fill up a whole bag. I don’t buy things with a lot of packaging either and I take reusable bags in with me when I go shopping. That saves me money and makes life simpler, indeed.
Here’s a nifty idea that will save you a lot of money over mail-order catalog varieties. I save my baggies and zip lock plastic sandwich bags and reuse them. I wash them out and then put them over my homemade drying rack to dry out.I took an old toothbrush holder and put chopsticks in them to hold the bags to dry. You could use pencils if you don’t have any chopsticks. They would work just as well.
If you have a toothbrush holder to use, by all means go ahead and use it. If, however, you are going to buy one at a flea market or big box store, here are a few things you should look for.
I first used a ceramic one that had a solid bottom underneath the holes and it got yucky pretty fast. Plus it was hard to clean because you couldn’t get to it. Then I tried a plastic one that was open on the bottom and water went everywhere, plus it tipped over from being unstable because it wasn’t heavy enough.
The best type to use is one that has a bottom but the lid detaches for easy cleaning. That is what I have now and it works very well. So look for those characteristics if you do have to go out and buy one. A ceramic one is more stable but probably won’t have a top that comes off.
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