I'd like to think that I'm pretty environmentally conscious.
I mean, considering that the high today was 65ยบ and only four days ago we were supposed to get 10 inches of snow, climate change is a pretty serious concern.
Anyways, I recycle and compost daily, and I'm a big fan of both. One thing that does irk me about recycling though, is that so many places superficially do, but actually don't.
A lot of places and businesses have recycling bins next to each trash can, especially because of the waves of green thinking that have been coursing over the past few years. The job of a business to recycle doesn't end by them just providing the recycle bin though, it also includes actually recycling the material. Sadly, a lot of the material in recycle bins in reality end up in landfills.
This happens mainly because of the general public. In providing recycle bins, places and businesses set the public responsible for one thing-- to only recycle recyclable things. Unfortunately, people aren't just recycling the wrong things because of ignorance, but also because of blatant disrespect. Throwing trash into a recycle bin means that either the whole bin has to go into the trash, or someone has to shift through all of the recycle bins to check whether or not all of the material is okay. Not a good job. Also, business simply don't have the resources to waste someones time by forcing them to sift through recyclables.
A little bit of a tangent, but still notable.
On a more positive note, one of the things I really love about recycling is the amazing pieces that can come out of reusing. On a previous post I included photos of a stage that I built this summer in Montana, made 60% out of reused palet pieces. There are so many things that end up in the landfill that could turn into either extremely cheap, handy tools and furniture pieces, or unconventional, but awesome art pieces. Especially with the internet, there are so many DIY ideas for reusing materials to create wonderful pieces. So take the time and think about a project that you could do during the summer. It doesn't have to be expensive, and it could be an excellent way to personalize your room, not to mention, save a little bit of the world.
