Sunday, July 15, 2012

It's Time for a Change

“I am too busy”
“It is too hard”
“It takes way too much time and work”
“I am too lazy”


(Picture taken from TMZ.com)

Your turn.. it’s never too late to start a new year’s resolution. No mercy… today is the day you start.. RECYCLING! Throwing a can in the recycling bin is as easy as throwing it in the garbage, you just need to make it accessible.
I lived in an apartment with my sister and although we did recycle, it was a pain. We had a garbage can under the sink and another box where we put everything in. Then at the end of the week when it was full we had to separate the plastic/cans and paper to recycle everything in to the appropriate bins. It definitely was not a small task. So when we moved into the house, I was on the hunt for my garbage bin.
Many months and a trip over the border later, I found this:


3 bins – One garbage, One blue bin recycling, One grey bin recycling
This way in order to throw a can in the garbage, it is the exact same as throwing it into the recycling. EASY! So the question.. would you recycle if it were like that?
Here is your chance, you can start recycling today.. we can work on the rest later.  
A few tips:
1.       Don’t label each section. It keeps your company guessing so they have to choose which bin to put it in. I always get the question, “okay which one do you want this in?!”
2.       The bins with 3 compartments are best so that you have all of your recycling and garbage in one place to make the transition easier
3.       The bigger the bins the better so you don’t have to empty them to your outdoor recycling bins every day
And here I did all of the research for you, so there are no excuses!
·         Order online to your nearest Walmart store (note: not available in Canada, we had to pick it up over the border) - http://www.walmart.com/ip/Neu-Home-12-Gallon-Recycle-Bin/8222531
·         There are numerous other ones out there as well so you can search for the best fit at the best price
And I know you can’t go out and buy a fancy recycling centre today.. so what can you do today?
Here are a couple quick things you can do right now that will be one step to reducing waste:
1.       No more bottled water! That’s right.. gone are the days of you buying bottled water. You could buy a Brita for about $30 and a new filter for $7 each which lasts approximately 3 months, versus buying cases and cases of water at an average of $4 each.

Okay only a little bit more math I promise…

If you drink an average of 3 bottles of water a day, you are spending $15 every month (for every person in your household) on bottled water compared to just $7 every 3 months on a Brita filter.

Ladies.. just think of the shopping you could do with that. More seriously, think of the plastic and the waste you are no longer consuming. And that is all with the same visit to the store as buying the case of water in the first place.

2.       Just because you aren’t in the kitchen doesn’t mean you don’t have recyclables. For instance, in the laundry room you have empty detergent bottles, box for dryer sheets, etc.
3.       Throwing a party? Consider using reusable plastic plates instead of Styrofoam plates. Reduces your waste in the name of doing a couple dishes afterwards.
4.       Research. What is recyclable changes depending not only on what Country or what State/Province you are from but it also changes by City.
Your choice.. keep being lazy and throwing out recyclable items or take some initiative…
See you next week!

I have heard it all before.

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