A Refresher On Recycling

A REFRESHER ON RECYCLING

Hints on Reduction:

1) Use products that come with as little packaging as possible.

2) Buy largest size products whenever possible.

3) Buy concentrated liquids and refills…and that goes for baby formulas as well.

4) Keep containers for refills or use them to carry other products. I use baby wipe containers for my daughter’s pencils and pens and baby formula cans (when using powdered) to store my dry herbs…as well as store bought candles that come in glass as pencil holders. Reuse plastic bags as diaper bags or to line your smaller trash cans.

5) Wash butter containers or any plastic lidded containers to store left-overs in frig.

6) Purchase 2 in 1 products such as shampoos containing conditioners and or detergents containing softeners or alternative whiteners.

7) Try turning products such as dish liquid into multipurpose solutions. For example I use my dish liquid to hand wash baby clothes and fine washables; also works great on removing stains after soaking in cold water.

Re-Using:

1) Purchase string-netting or strong canvas shopping bags. They’re strong and durable and many companies will offer them at wholesale prices when purchasing in larger quantities.

2) Don’t just throw away your old clothes, shoes, appliances and furniture. Donate them so that others less fortunate may give them new life!

3) One thing I often do is tell the clerk not to give me a bag when purchasing one or a few products…always keep your receipts though.

4)Recycle your plastic drinking containers such as those used for water and juice by using a home filter for refills and buying concentrated juices.

  • Most Common Products Recycled:

    1) paper 2) glass 3) aluminum 4) steel 5) yard wastes (nature’s free fertilizer)

    *** I’ve recently begun baking my own breads and found that keeping the plastic bag where my store bought bread comes in is great for storing extra home made bread loaves in the freezer*** ***Other things you can do are grow as many of the food products you consume as possible. Example, grow herbs indoors, bake from scratch, and if you own your own small piece of land, raise your own livestock for meat, eggs and milk…grow your own vegetables etc. It takes a lot of technological energy to grow many of the foods and products we use…growing your own organically reduces this cost as well as depletion to our natural resources.*** Statistics:

    Latest figures show these % of products in our garbage land fills…

    1) Glass 5.9% 2) Metals 7.7% 3) Food 10.4% 4) Plastics 9.4% 5)General Waste 15.1 % 6) Yard Waste 13.4% 7) Paper 38.1%

    TAKEN FROM CHARACTERIZATION OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE

    ***For more helpful information on recycling and the environment, I found these sites to be quite helpful and may even prompt you to take action yourself or with others in your community. It is so important to do as much as we can to insure a healthy environment for our children and those to come.***

     

    FOOD MARKETING INSTITUTE: 800 Connecticut Ave. N.W. Washington D.C. 20006-2701 Website: http://www.fmi.org

    FOR MORE INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AGENCY PUBLICATIONS ON SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT RCRA Docket 0s305 401 M. Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20460 Telephone: 1-800-424-9346 Website: http://www.epa.gov/osw KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL, INC. (My Favorite) 1010 Washington Street Stamford, CT 06901 Telephone: (203) 323-8987 Website: http //www.kab.org

    **The authors of this site are neither licensed physicians nor scientists; we simply provide a space where hard to find information is free for the gathering. Use common sense when implementing any of our suggestions or those of your fellow reader. **