Rethinking the Way We Handle Waste

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.