Global Recycling Day!
Happy Recycling Day Hussies!
If you’re new to this — which most of you probably are as this Day was only born on March 18th of 2018 — Global Recycling Day was created as an initiative to garner a larger audience for their foundation, The Global Recycling Foundation. This year the theme is #RecyclingHeroes, recognizing people, places and activities that contribute to the decrease of waste and increase of reuse, reduce, recycle.
My close friends and family know that I am kind of a sustainability “nerd”. I bike ride my compost to the local community garden, separate and wash all my recyclables in multiple bins and use Amazon as a last resort because of the excess waste it produces. In our previous home, my fiance has to adapt to my non-paper-paper-towels, bamboo toilet paper and refusal to buy saran wrap. Beeswax Wraps for the win babe!
Unfortunately, “recycling” is now a sub-category of “climate change” which has been put in the “taboo” section of dinner conversation as that is “political”. Realistically — the world needs to recycle and produce less waste. Period. There is no question about it. Understandably, changing habits is difficult, (I still bite my nails) but this habit has dyer consequences. There is waste littered deep within our earth and fumes spewing into our atmosphere. The problems from high too low are ones we as a collective society can actually help.
My hope is that this article affects EVERY READER. So YOU - Dear One - must take one of these actionable items listed and implement it into your life. Some are easier — for the beginners — and others a tad more challenging.
I’ve included as many links as I can to encourage browsing, further learning and hopefully — action! Leave a comment and share what challenge you have accepted. How do you want to help our gorgeous mother Gaea?
Eliminating Plastic Bags From Your Shopping Trip
Some of you reading this live in an area that already has banned plastic bags from most grocery store chains. Which is great! But another culprit of plastic bag waste is the little plastic bags used for bagging individual fruits and vegetables.
Did You Know…
—> Plastic Bags and Plastic Film canNOT be recycled in your recycling bin? It actually clogs up the recycle separation machines and causes all items in that “load” to be thrown away.
—> Some chain stores like Target, Home Depot, Sprouts have specified “Plastic Bag Recycling Bins” at the entrance of their store. In these bins you can dispose of your soft plastics: bags, film, wrap.
—> Only 9% of plastic is actually recycled and only 1% of that are plastic bags. 1% of all the plastic bags used in America get recycled.
If you’re wondering why the plastic bag issue is such an issue, there might be one part of it that you are overlooking… All plastic is made up of fossil fuels. It is a byproduct of the fossil fuel industry, and one that generates a lot of income for the conglomerates. So when we talk about eliminating plastic it is for two reasons: The incredible waste accumulation and the decrease in emissions from the production of plastic.
Solution…
Keep your reusable bags handy so you always have them ready to go! For bagging fruits and vegetables, first ask yourself this, does this fruit or vegetable have a protective skin already and does it need to be bagged? Most of the time, it doesn’t. Citrus fruits, onions, garlic, avocados, they all have a protective layer that we do not eat, therefore they do not need an additional layer of plastic protection to take home. And if they do, like tomatoes, apples and lettuce heads, bring your own smaller produce bags! You can purchase pretty little canvas bags from different shops like here. Or you can make your own! Take an old pillow case, cut it into quarters and use the bottom two halves where the seams are. That creates a little pouch where you can tie the two ends together and viola!
2. Ditch Shampoo, Conditioner, Soaps in Bottles
This is one that I was hesitant about at first - I won’t lie. I’ve seen the shampoo and conditioner bars before but always thought they were'n’t up to date enough to lather my color treated blonde hair. Boy was I wrong.
In the course of one year we went through probably 15 bottles from our shower alone. Most of those are not recyclable. That really bothered me.
Solution…
Hello HiBar does an incredible job with their options of sets. I fell in love the first time I used it — and so did my fiance. Our shower feels “minimalist” and clean, instead of multiple bottles (and dollars) we share two cute bars of shampoo and conditioner.
Soap bars are not only an easy switch out from big soap bottles, but a perk is that you can usually support local businesses or farmers by buying handmade soap within your area. A fraction of the price, twice the length of use and putting your money right back into your communities economy.
3. Replace Single Use Household Items for Sustainable Ones
The consensus of single use is that it aids a busy lifestyle. You grab, wipe, toss - done! While that may be true for some chores, it’s not really applicable to daily acts that have an easy alternative.
Switch It Out…
Single use wipes or paper towels —> Microfiber cloths and glass spray bottles
Swiffer waste pads —> Reusable flat mop head and spray
Paper Napkins —> Cotton napkins that are machine washable
Paper Towels —> Durable microfibre and Hand Towels that are machine washable
Cling film —> Glass tupperware or elastic cotton covers
Dryer sheets —> Wool Dryer Balls
Cotton balls for wiping off make up —> Cotton Pads that are machine washable
While you are doing laundry anyways for your favourite work from home sweatsuit — whats the difference in throwing in an extra hand towel?
4. Utilize Terra Cycle Free Recycling Programs
This is going to sound weird, but you can ship your specific non-traditional-but-still-recyclable recycling. I’ve been using TerraCycle for two years now, and I really love how simple they make their programs. When you sign up, you receive access to over 150 collaborated programs with companies like Brita, Swiffer, Gerber Baby, Acure, Garnier and Solo. YES SOLO. Throwing a kegger? You can actually print out free shipping labels, collect all your rinsed out red solo cups and ship them to TerraCycle.
Check out their website and programs here.
5. Plastic Free Week Challenge
Challenge yourself to one week of being plastic free. At the grocery store, running errands, within the house — No. Plastic. Not only does this pare down your waste for the week, it also emphasizes how much unnecessary plastic is used in society.
Other Resources and Ideas
An incredible podcast: How To Save A Planet
Bamboo Toilet Paper to Help Save The Trees!
Plant a Tree by replacing your search engine using Ecosia
