Tips for organizing your recycling effort & some simple tips for "pre-cycling":
Consider the products and packaging you are choosing to use and eliminate extra waste before you use it. For example, when you make a small purchase, leave the bag behind. Shred your receipts and mail at home. Using a criss-cross shredder (add colored paper to create decorative packaging filler). You can then use these shreds to pad packages that you send later this month to family and friends for the Holidays.
Use recyclable products: Paporganics has a fantastic array of recycled paper greeting cards, wrapping paper and biodegradeable ribbons. Made from a hemp/flax and post consumable paper blend, these products are as beautiful as they are practical. If you're interested, take a look at their selection >> Recycled Greeting Cards & Paper.
When you're doing your Holiday shopping, take along a reusable bag. Try to stay away from collecting brand new paper or plastic bags. Did you know that it takes take upwards of 1000 years for these plastic shopping bags to biodegrade?
Try to switch to using only sponges instead of paper towels. If you're worried about the sponge carrying bacteria, add it to your nightly dishwasher run or let it soak in boiling water for a few minutes.
Switch from paper napkins to cloth. The small amount of water & biodegradeable soap you will use to clean these every week will more than make up for the cutting down of needless trees and later paper waste in landfills.
When doing your grocery shopping, seek out products that are packaged in recycled (glass and aluminum) containers -- or even reuse the container. Stay away from styrofoam and plastic packaging. Most eco-friendly grocery stores have eliminated styrofoam from their shelves. Last but not least, do not buy your kids anything in foil lined packaging like juice boxes. These containers cannot be recycled and take centuries to biodegrade. Eco-friendly engineers are on a mission to produce a new type of packaging, but this might be a while. In the mean time, get your kids a reusable sippy cup like the Nalgene Grip-n-Gulp kid's sippy cup
The cup does not off-gas or leach chemicals from traditional plastic.An obvious one, but hard to resist sometimes when entertaining over the holidays -- try to buy multiple-use items. In other words, stay away from paper plates, plasticware, disposable napkins, etc.
Buy your produce, fruits and grains in bulk. When you grocery shop, plan ahead by bringing a reusable container for these lose bulk items. If at all possible, get your dairy products directly from an organic dairy farm. Usually they have you bring their glass or refillable container back each time you visit.
Just a few ideas to kick off the holiday season and start the new year's resolution to be better with our recycling effort. Cheers!
