So… I am feeling much better, I am not really “deathly” ill, I just tend to behave very crazy when I am sick and I always feel like I am going to die, although this time I could not breathe, so can you blame me?? I have an inhaler now, so I can breathe again! Yay!
Now that I am actually leaving my house everyday and all, I have noticed something that really, really irritates me – the ridiculous number of plastic bags that are all over the city – I cannot express in words how much I hate the sight of plastic bags in trees, on the ground, flying in the air, in waterways… well, you get the idea!
Anyways, a while ago I started requesting no bags when I make a purchase, unless, of course, it could not be helped (I am not actually a superhero!), and I would like to make a request that all of you consider doing the same. For example, if I purchase books, I just take it home with me just like that, I really don’t need a plastic bag for that… just think about it before you accept a plastic bag… that’s all I ask!
For the past year I have been trying really hard to increase my recycling efforts, and while I cannot be considered “green” yet, I think I am doing a few things right!
1) One of the simplest things that I did to make recycling a little easier was to get the right “tools”, or in my case, the right bins for organizing my garbage.
When we first started recycling, the first mistake we made was relying on the blue bin as the recycle bin, so we would store the cans and other packaging on the kitchen counter and then take it down at the end of the day. Soon we realized that the counter was filling up and it was somewhat easier to just toss things into the garbage instead! Now, I have a large bin for plastic, glass, and aluminum, then a second small bin for organic waste, and of course my regular garbage bin as well.
You can find a few great solutions at The Bin Company, but make sure that whatever solution you get is one that works for your family and needs.
2) One of the hardest things for me to give up are plastic bags… ideally I would love to have fabric bags when I go grocery shopping, but it’s just not something that I seem to have the discipline for!
I found biodegradable shopping bags which are generally a better choice for collecting your waste than ordinary plastic bags. I also do most of my shopping now at Costco, where they don’t give bags anyways, so that’s actually working out better for me.
3) Most of the waste in our family consists of “organic” waste, you know, fruit and vegetable skins and seeds, Chicken bones, and so on… and I realized some time ago, that I needed a organic waste solution, but I got lucky and our city started a composting program. If you’re thinking of composting, it’s a really great way to reduce your waste, and you can find a lot of different options, including composting start-up kits to get you up and running quickly and easily.
