Why Not Recycle?

Really. It doesn’t take more than 2-3 seconds longer to recycle something than to throw it in the trash.  There’s no reason that you can’t recycle.

Lucky for me, I grew up recycling; my mom taught us about recycling when I was about 10.  We used to have to sort out the number 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 plastics all by number.  We not only had to sort out the aluminum cans and the glass as well, but we had to remove the labels.  Now THAT’S work… and dedication!  Although, come to think of it, my mom didn’t really do much of the work, my brothers and sisters and I were in charge of the recycling.  She educated us, and we ran with it!  I would like to attribute my green heart to my mother’s passion for saving the planet in any way that we could!

I have been an avid recycler (is that a word?) for almost all of my life.  The reason I say “almost” all of my life is due to a short stint about a year ago that I didn’t recycle.  There really was no excuse for my not recycling.  I came up with a boatload of them though; I didn’t have a recycling bin, The recycling center was too far away, the city that we lived in didn’t provide recycling containers, I didn’t have time to sort out my recycling.  Every time I threw something that I knew could be recycled, I felt completely guilty.

Luckily, I came to my senses and fixed all of the answers to those pathetic excuses!  I went out and bought a recycling garbage bin for inside, picked up not only one bin, but I requested two, from my local sanitation service, and took the 2-3 seconds more per item.  Let me tell you, I feel so much better when I bring my garbage to the end of my driveway on garbage day!  My recycling is overflowing, and I could fit at least 2-3 weeks of actual garbage in my trash bin!

Now, I’m the mom; I’ve already spent time talking to my 2 and 3 year old girls about recycling.  I think that the more they are taught about how good it is for our earth, the more that recycling is just ingrained into who they are and who they become.  Each time they are about to throw something in the trash, they first ask me, “Mommy, can I recycle this?”  I think this is awesome!  It gives me the opportunity to remind them about what we can or cannot recycle.  Many times this leads to a discussion about why we recycle.

Today, recycling is much easier than it was 20 years ago.  Here’s a few tips to help you get started recycling:

• You’ll want to check with your area sanitation service, some don’t even require you to sort anything out.
• If you don’t have a recycling bin, you can use a spare Rubbermaid tote and put it out on garbage night as well.  Just label it, so your garbage men know that you want to recycle it.  (and maybe after a couple weeks, they might even bring you a real-life recycling bin!)
• Sort out your recycling in paper bags in your garage or pantry; then at the end of the week, (when the garbage and recycling is stinky) you won’t have to go through all of the work of sorting.
• Plastics, paper, aluminum, tin, newspaper, glass and cardboard are all recyclable.

I would encourage all of you non-recyclers to join in the trend!  After getting set up to recycle, it’ll be a breeze and you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner.  It doesn’t take long to get in the groove of recycling; it’s no harder than throwing it in the trash!  Just do it… GO GREEN!