Help me Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rethink

©2009 Susan Hoke

Someone posted this question on a forum I visit. I started thinking of some of the things we do here on the River Rest that keeps trash out of the landfill.

The 3 R’s. REDUCE – REUSE – RECYCLE.

Reduce,reuse,recycle

Our county has a pretty good recycle program. They take the usual; newspaper,plastics,aluminum,glass and cardboard. They also take used motor oil and car batteries. We utilize this program as much as we can. The little things add up.
We not only recycle, we REUSE.
Whenever possible I wash out plastic baggies and use them again. If it’s beyond the point of reusing it safely I still keep it. They can be use for things that are going into the garbage but will stink it up or be too wet. (Come on… we’ve all had left overs turn into science experiments in the fridge!).
We reuse glass jars. Last year we dried a lot of our garden harvest. Our shelves are lined with peanut butter jars filled with dried tomatoes, blueberries, onions, beans, basil and many other foods that we use in our winter meals.
Plastic butter containers make a great substitute for tupperware!
I baked our bread. We average about 3 loaves a week. I used to buy loaf bags and reuse them. Now I can’t find them in the stores. So, I started reusing bags that store bought bread comes in. It works for the bakeries, it works for me.
Even the packaging that cereal comes in can be reused. Wrap a sandwich in the plastic bag. Flatten the box and throw it in the compost pile or use it on the garden as a weed barrier. I’ve even used them to make an Elizabethan collar for our cat!
Speaking of paper. We don’t use paper napkins or paper towels. Cloth napkins and dish towels do the job very well. I have not,however,found a good substitute for bathroom tissue. I’ve thought about making cloth wipes. It’s on the to-do list.

Reuse grocery bags. Take them with you on your next trip to the store. A better solution is to find reusable bags and keep them in the car so they are handy to take into the store. Reusable bags can be made of canvas, mesh or plastic. Heck! I’ve even used cardboard boxes!
REDUCING is a major component in cutting down on trash. Learning to make things at home will help. It’s not that hard to make things from scratch. Buying in bulk is also a great way to reduce packaging and trips to the store.
I remember when we’d go to Grandma’s house in the mountains of Virginia. The “dump” was a ravine up the road. These were quite common in rural areas. It was a long drive to the county landfill. The county put out “green boxes” in the 1970’s and now most communities have manned convenience sites. We have come a long way but still have a lot of work to do.