Recycling is, unfortunately, one of those
things that we don’t do nearly enough of. If I’m being honest with myself, there’s
a somewhat futile effort to recycling considering so much of recycled materials
ends up in our landfills and oceans, despite the fact that that ruins the
entire point of recycling. Nonetheless, attempting to recycle and reduce the
expendable waste we have is what matters most in this environmentally conscious
era.
One thing I like to do to promote more
recycling and less waste is to set out a few cardboard boxes (they can be
shipping boxes or whatever you have) next to my trash can. This reminds me that
I have options for my waste, and very rarely should I throw things in the trash
in the first place.
I’ll run you through the steps in choosing
which thing to throw waste in, with trash being the last resort.
Compost
Can it be composted? If so, this is your best
option for waste. Compost is such an impactful way to reduce your carbon
footprint, especially since you’re literally making soil out of it. That, to me, is powerful. All food waste
besides a few things should be composted if possible. Cardboard and paper can
even go in this pile.
Reusable
items.
Often times, this boils down to what glass
containers you are trying to reuse. Washing out any glass bottles or jars right
after they’ve been emptied is the best way to remind yourself to reuse glass
containers. There’s no need to recycle glass if you have other uses for it, and
there’s also no reason to buy glass
unless you absolutely have to. Try to buy your foods in bulk from the grocery
and you’ll never worry about what containers you’re tossing out.
Recyclables.
These are your plastic, paper, and aluminum
items. I prefer to put my paper and cardboard in the compost (by soaking them
in water beforehand), and aluminum can often be melted down for other things if
you have the right equipment. If you are going to put these in their respective
shipping boxes (the recycling “bins” you’ve made!), do it only as a last
resort. I mentioned earlier that the trash is your last resort, but to be
honest with you, recycling should be absolute last resort. By flipping the
entire system you know on its head, you won’t be throwing hardly anything away
at all! It’s a win for you and for your planet.
