Day 8
I've upgraded my bag-o-junk to a large, transparent, blue recycling bag that, apparently, my sister stole from the city of Columbia, MO. It's a lovely bag (pictures to come soon) and big enough to make me...conspicuous. As I got together with my sister last week, she asked where my bag was and I told her it was in my car. She informed me that I should carry it around with me EVERYWHERE, so I'm now making that effort. I guess you never know when you'll run into someone who could benefit from a chat about conservation and/or Lent, even if it's your own Earth-inclined-but-God-reluctant sister. (Hmmm, Meggie?)
Anyway, as I peer into my bag, I notice I haven't accumulated very much, thankfully. I spent about 20 minutes on Monday lugging my enormous boxes of recyclables to my car, and then only 5 minutes dumping them into the recycling dumpsters behind Target. It felt good to get some (responsible) throwing-out done. But, as I've contemplated a few times this Lenten season, is producing recyclable waste really any better than producing plain, old icky waste? Sure, if done correctly, it doesn't produce any NEW waste, but how often do we just throw things into the garbage because it's convenient, or because recycling centers are still too few and far between? And why do we insist on overpackaging things, when it's not necessary. I know the FDA has regulations on safe packaging, but they also make allowances for rat hairs in cereals (gross, but true). So, as part of this effort, I am trying to produce AS LITTLE WASTE as possible, period. Luckily, I've saved enough food containers to be able to reuse them for a long time. Ryan's recent addiction to Sarah Lee's honey turkey, for example, has given me about 12 nice-sized reusable plastic containers (they're equivalent to Gladware containers. You know--durable enough to reuse but inexpensive enough to just throw away!!!!! The loathsomeness of modern conveniences...) And as I washed dishes this weekend, I retrieved a butter tub from the recycling (I promise, not more than 10 minutes old) and washed it. "I can take lunch in this," I thought, as Ryan cringed, and then rolled his eyes. Yes, appreciation for the Earth has turned me, prematurely, into my grandmother. "That's a perfectly good butter tub!" I recall her saying, when my sister and I laughed some Christmas at her choice of cookie-packaging. You may think you're receiving a tube of Pringles, but voila!, it's peanut butter cookies (ahem, Aaron).
Thanks to a long weekend at work, I didn't get to hit the Farmer's Market like I wanted to, but I will be making my first waste-free grocery purchases of lent this weekend. My sister has volunteered to capture any awkward moments on camera (e.g. asking the butcher to please put the chicken bits directly into my tupperware; no plastic bag, thanks). Also, the helper kids I worked with over the weekend were very good about posing hypothetical situations for waste-production potential, and checked with me at every meal about any garbage I may have produced. I was able to impress them, however, with my trusty washcloth which I use to dry my hands, so as not to produce paper towel trash, and my ever-present mug so I don't have to use disposable.
Anyway, as I peer into my bag, I notice I haven't accumulated very much, thankfully. I spent about 20 minutes on Monday lugging my enormous boxes of recyclables to my car, and then only 5 minutes dumping them into the recycling dumpsters behind Target. It felt good to get some (responsible) throwing-out done. But, as I've contemplated a few times this Lenten season, is producing recyclable waste really any better than producing plain, old icky waste? Sure, if done correctly, it doesn't produce any NEW waste, but how often do we just throw things into the garbage because it's convenient, or because recycling centers are still too few and far between? And why do we insist on overpackaging things, when it's not necessary. I know the FDA has regulations on safe packaging, but they also make allowances for rat hairs in cereals (gross, but true). So, as part of this effort, I am trying to produce AS LITTLE WASTE as possible, period. Luckily, I've saved enough food containers to be able to reuse them for a long time. Ryan's recent addiction to Sarah Lee's honey turkey, for example, has given me about 12 nice-sized reusable plastic containers (they're equivalent to Gladware containers. You know--durable enough to reuse but inexpensive enough to just throw away!!!!! The loathsomeness of modern conveniences...) And as I washed dishes this weekend, I retrieved a butter tub from the recycling (I promise, not more than 10 minutes old) and washed it. "I can take lunch in this," I thought, as Ryan cringed, and then rolled his eyes. Yes, appreciation for the Earth has turned me, prematurely, into my grandmother. "That's a perfectly good butter tub!" I recall her saying, when my sister and I laughed some Christmas at her choice of cookie-packaging. You may think you're receiving a tube of Pringles, but voila!, it's peanut butter cookies (ahem, Aaron).
Thanks to a long weekend at work, I didn't get to hit the Farmer's Market like I wanted to, but I will be making my first waste-free grocery purchases of lent this weekend. My sister has volunteered to capture any awkward moments on camera (e.g. asking the butcher to please put the chicken bits directly into my tupperware; no plastic bag, thanks). Also, the helper kids I worked with over the weekend were very good about posing hypothetical situations for waste-production potential, and checked with me at every meal about any garbage I may have produced. I was able to impress them, however, with my trusty washcloth which I use to dry my hands, so as not to produce paper towel trash, and my ever-present mug so I don't have to use disposable.