Tightening up on discarded waste!

Scene from South Park Season 14, Episode 10

A few days ago, I wrote a post concerning how much throwing stuff out drives me crazy. A friend of mine heard me talking about this and cautioned me to be careful. She said that’s the way many people who become ‘hoarders’ start out. I told her that I remembered a show done on South Park "Insheeption" about that. Pretty funny actually! But, very sobering too! So, perhaps I am walking a tightrope here, even though all I really want to do is become a more responsible citizen in the area of recycling. That’s a good thing, right?

Problem! Who's got a problem?

I think my ‘affliction’ with this area of recapturing used stuff began some years ago as an offshoot of my hobby in backyard gardening. While growing veggies for the table, I started a small compost pile and then watched in amazement as kitchen scraps turned into dark soil! At that point, I was hooked! I’ve been composting ever since and perhaps was ‘pre-infected’ with the idea. After all, composting is recycling on the most organic level, is it not?

Today, I like the challenge of making purchases at the grocery store last for more than just one use. Plastic bags have now been discarded in favor of paper, or better yet, for one of those canvas tote bags that I see other people beginning to use more and more often! (These days, I try and make sure to keep one in my auto for those times when I’m going to purchase a small amount of stuff). Otherwise, it's ‘paper please’ at the checkout counter from now on!

Well...at least the tray is made of paper!

This idea of reusing items that I purchase also extends towards products I select to take home with me. Whenever possible, I opt for glass containers over plastic. Failing that, I try and avoid anything that will end up at the transfer station and thus condemned to a landfill. Take TV dinners, for example. I try and purchase items like Aunt Jemima’s Scrambled Eggs and Sausage breakfast meal mainly because they use a paper tray. (Even thought the contents of this meal totally suck, they do have the right idea when it comes to packaging)!

What it all boils down to is choice. Even if scientists were to discover tomorrow that landfills are a ‘good’ thing, I would still be opposed to filling them up in the manner that we do. It sickens me that some of this crapola will still be hanging around when generation 20 is out walking the earth!

A project worthy of government funding!

As I was hauling out the garbage recently, an empty half gallon milk carton fell out of the sack and landed on the driveway. I stooped down to pick it up and as I did so the thought occurred to me that something that is manufactured, used once and then goes to the landfill is a pretty dumb way to do things. That’s when it came to me that maybe there is a better way that manufactures could work! So here is my thought.

Why not sponsor a competition all across America to come up with food containers that can see a second life and or which can be reintroduced to nature in a non polluting manner. Let me take two cases in point; the ubiquitous milk carton and the 2 liter soda bottle.  Both items are purchased by millions of people each day. They use them and then, outside those who practice reclamation, throw them into the trash.

One company has, in fact, redesigned a new and better milk container which companies like Sam’s Club, Wal-Mart and Costco will be stocking in the future. In addition to be recyclable, the design of the carton eliminates the need to ship them in crates which have to be washing before putting being put back in service. They are stacked and then banded with plastic strips that can also be recycled. This eliminates the crate and all that water from the manufacturing and distribution stream.

When it comes to soda bottles, all that is needed for now is to make sure they get recycled. The plastic used to make them is polyethylene terephthalate which can be recycled to help make polar fleece, a material used in casual jackets, sweaters, gym clothes and the like. But, it would be great if some genius out there could come up with a new configuration that would not only be recyclable but which also be useful in some other way after the contents have been consumed.

In my mind, there are a host of products out there that could be ‘re-engineered’ to either have less of an impact on the earth or which could be extended in terms if their usefulness. Something our beleaguered government could get behind and make into a success story.