With the arrival of my bright blue recycling bin (thank you, Bayer), I became a recycling fiend. The milk jugs alone had the bin full in a few days. I know how many gallons a week Elsie produces for my clan, but the visual of them all in one place at the same time was an eye-opener. Now, I have the satisfaction of serving milk and knowing the landfill won’t be eating the jug.
As I use up anything contained in plastic, it’s already become habit to check the little triangle on the bottom. I’ve been amazed at how many items were encased in the 1 and 2 plastic – it goes beyond what you may think. Take a peek at shampoo bottles, the little scoop that comes in powdered laundry detergent, and the container holding liquid dishwasher detergent.
What really sparked my interest was when I started seeing 5’s and 7’s inside the triangle. Curiosity got the best of me. As I suspected, the materials used to produce those containers were different, and used for different packaging applications. If you’d like to add a little spice to your life, see what all the different plastics are, what they are used for, and what type of recycled products are made from them, you can visit www.ides.com/resources/plastic-recycling-codes.asp .
Since our bin was overflowing with plastic, we’ll continue our ten-year practice of crushing and taking in our aluminum cans. The kids didn’t want to give up that income source anyway.
One thing that does have me a little perplexed is all the rinsing. I’m no greenie, but I do know that water conservation is a large part of taking care of our resources. I’ve tumbled that about in my head a bit, and I’m hoping the space saved in the landfill outweighs the use of extra water.
My first pick-up day was this past Thursday. As luck would have it, we were under a wind advisory and I chased milk jugs stacked on my overflowing bin several times before I secured them in a large paper bag. By afternoon, long after my regular trash pick up, I had almost given up on being rid of the plastic. Then, I heard the truck round the corner. It was a very exciting moment, prompting me to get to a window in order to bid my collection adieu.
Unfortunately, my excitement turned to major disappointment as I watched my neighbors’ bins emptied and tossed back into their yards, while mine was skipped. I stood shouting from my kitchen window as if they could hear me. It had to be a cruel joke.
Annoyed, I bolted out of the door and chased my jugs (in the paper bag) down the street again. As I hit my “runner’s high”, I realized a phone call to the city was in order.
Sure enough that quick phone call did the trick. Thanks to modern technology, the men on the truck were alerted to having skipped my house.
The blue bin brought with it more than just a chance to lessen the contents of the landfill. You’ll all be entertained, and I’ll become more physically fit. What else could we possibly ask for?
© 2008 Natalie Whatley
Tags: recycling