It may sound shocking… but I don’t believe in trash cans anymore. Let’s just litter. #2020. Thank you for listening to my Ted Talk.
WAIT! Before you click away, that was a joke! This article is definitely not promoting you (or anyone else) to litter. No one should ever do that. Instead, this article promotes repurposing and the importance of recycling. Think about the quote, “Trash is just resources in the wrong place at the wrong time.” To illustrate this. I took a trip down the street to see what’s in the typical trash can and think about the ways to reuse these items, and therefore eliminate them from going to landfills.
In this trash can, there is a bottle of spray cleaner. It makes me ask, why are people not recycling? This bottle has a number two recycle sign, and in this community (and most others) number two is fine to recycle. Better yet, why not repurpose the bottle and save energy? Spray bottles are unfortunately hard to recycle because of their different types of plastics, so it is much better to just reuse instead of risking it going to a landfill. Even things you attempt to recycle can end up in landfills. Even worse, I think this bottle still has a few drops of cleaner in it. Definitely don’t throw away chemicals because they will not biodegrade in landfills. They will simply make leachate toxic. Leachate it a mixture of liquids that collect in landfills. And definitely don’t waste the precious cleaner. Instead, I choose to make my own while reusing the same bottle that once was a cleaner.
Next, there is a bandaid. How lovely. First of all, I only use bandaids when absolutely necessary. That is something we can all decide for ourselves, but if I am not gushing blood, I don’t need a bandaid. Now, I am not going to say you have to repurpose a used bandaid, especially because that can spread diseases, but there are things you can do before buying more bandaids to help our planet. a) Make your own cloth bandages (use organic cotton or bamboo to compost), b) just use a tissue if it's a small cut or c) buy compostable band-aids. Just like a traditional bandaid, these plant-based bandages stick to your skin.
Wow, I found a battery. Batteries unfortunately have toxins like mercury, lead, and more, so they, unfortunately, can’t be recycled with curbside pickup. However, they definitely should not be thrown into a landfill. Instead, find a recycle or hazardous waste facility that will accept your used batteries and, moving forward, buy rechargeable batteries. At my house, we collect our used batteries in a repurposed plastic container (from our cat’s treats), and then take them to a recycling station once the container is full. I suggest recycling batteries because they have many valuable resources in them like lead and heavy metals. Plus, about 90% of batteries do get recycled.
Then I found your typical plastic bag. Of course. Why are people still using these? I suppose during a pandemic, getting groceries delivered is the best option. However, the ban of reusable bags has been lifted in most places, so don’t be afraid to purchase groceries or other small items in your reusable bags. When we have had to get plastic bags in the past, my family saves them and (like with our batteries) recycles them when we are passing a location where that is possible. We also save them because they can be handy for many purposes. For example, I need to bring lunch in a disposable bag for school this year which bums me out. (But don’t worry I’ll probably reuse the same disposable bag, over and over as they don’t break down easily. Plastic was not made to break.) Some people use plastic bags for pet poop, which is a creative way to repurpose the bags, but ultimately lands your bag in a landfill. I reuse plastic bags instead of plastic gloves if I am going to do a messy project.
Who is putting water bottles in the trash! What!? I’m not joking there are constantly plastic bottles in the trash. Use reusable bottles or at least reuse disposables multiple times and then recycle them. Plastic water bottles can be reused as a vase for plants, storage containers, food dispensers or bird feeders and so much more. Just be creative with your DIY's.
Then there were larger items that people had in their trash cans. Things that most people don’t throw away every day and consider to be more of an investment. Like a TV, bike, or couch. This is where I think about the quote, “One man's trash is another man's treasure.” To some people, an old couch may not fit the style of their home or they may be sick of the color. For whatever reason, some people don’t want certain items anymore or they want something new. And no matter who you are, there will probably always be someone less fortunate who would happily accept an old lightly stained couch any day. Also, in the past, when I was done with my bikes in the past, (all of which were second-hand to me), we put them in front of our house and let people have them for free. There are plenty of people willing to repair a free bike. For TV’s or other electronic devices, those too can be handed down and repurposed or even taken apart and pieces can be used for new devices. It really just comes down to using the resources you have in the right way.
Lastly, I found plenty of food waste. I hate this. Here in the US 30-40% of waste is food waste. When people can’t see the resources in the core of an apple or the peel of a banana, there is a problem. Composting needs to be more accessible and more widely known. Composting gives tons of nutrients to plants and gives you a great reason to start a garden. So start a compost! There are many ways to do that no matter where you live. If you want more information on how to compost, feel free to send a message to me directly or in the forum (HYPERLINK)
Ultimately, trash doesn’t need to exist. At least not the trash I found today. With a little creativity, we can save the planet. If you don’t feel like being creative try this: go zero waste (or closer to low waste). Or simply care. Think about it, If you aren’t going to care about littering, who is? It’s never okay to litter but it also isn’t okay to make unnecessary waste.
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