Get Rid of Your Trash and Save the Earth

re: Get Rid of Your Trash and Save the Earth

Floater Pete — Wed, 14 May 2008 04:00:18 GMT

We are bombarded with mesages to buy more " stuff ", to buy new " stuff " , so that we are one up on the guy next door, all motivated by the profit hungry manufacturers. Take control folks, if you do not really need it DO NOT BUY IT. Life is way simpler with less " stuff " and it feels better not to be polluting the world with what is often unnecessary junk.

If you have to satisfy your need for retail therapy try buying something for those less fortunate and give the stuff away. It is a win-win. Or better still recycle stuff on to others who really need it. Many single moms we work with are delighted with used ( clean ) furniture and baby clothes we can get donated and pass on to them. No we are not a charity - we are just regular folks like you trying to do our bit.

re: Get Rid of Your Trash and Save the Earth

Charlotte Fairchild — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:51:11 GMT

I know a recycling game created by Jack Holz.

When I wanted to get rid of carpet, people from Craigslist came and got half my carpet, and people from Freecycle.org came for the other half. It saved me $60.00 disposal fee to the landfill and $500.00 for the $80.00 an hour they would have charged to pull up the carpet. I took up the tack strips and did the concrete patching myself with help from my husband.

We put a concrete stain on the floor, and we haven't put quarter board around the perimeter yet, but we will when the time comes. I am telling you this because I figured this out, and no one is saying keep carpet out of landfills longer. Our carpet was 8 years old and pretty clean. It was just time to change and we didn't have the money for carpet cleaning.

A great movie to see that includes landfills is the movie Darwin's Nightmare. There is a website if you want a Google Search.

re: Get Rid of Your Trash and Save the Earth

energymaster — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 23:32:32 GMT

One solution is to use reusable plastic water bottles instead of buying throw-away water bottles, which are becomming the biggest source of non-recycled plastic and which leach chems into the water we drink. The safer ones are made of these type of materials (google up Mercola's article on 'nalgene')

Polypropylene, designated "#5 PP"

High-density polyethylene, designated "#2HDPE"

Low-density polyethylene, designated "#4 LDPE"

Andy

re: Get Rid of Your Trash and Save the Earth

energymaster — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 23:14:19 GMT

If this is the Jan 5 issue, how do people find it to start posting in the 3rd week of December?

re: Get Rid of Your Trash and Save the Earth

Plays in Dirt — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 22:59:01 GMT

Check out earth911.org Great resource to find local recycle/reuse options.

re: Get Rid of Your Trash and Save the Earth

webwitch6 — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 18:58:23 GMT

LaVone: fantastic sites, thank you for the research, The glass jar site helped me out a lot!

re: Get Rid of Your Trash and Save the Earth

dbm_llh — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 05:55:59 GMT

I have an idea for a way to re-use most of our plastic packaging, bags, storage containers.

I have been doing it for some time, but if we could get corporate America to do it commercially,, it would save alot of plastic ending up in our land fills,oceans and our food.

I have been experimenting with using it as insulation. I take plastic grocery bags and stuff them with all the plastic stuff i get. when it is fule I tie it up and put it in my attic.

WHAT if it could be pressed together and wraped in a paper liner like fiberglass insulation, only on both sides, and made into batts. It wouls have a great R factor and would use up a LOT of plastic stuff.

Don McDougle

re: Get Rid of Your Trash and Save the Earth

HappyDaze — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 05:52:49 GMT

I'm continually dismayed that almost all food products are now sold in plastic containers! So much for mfrs (lack of) concern about our health! And to think we voted for people who pass laws to allow them to legally do this? Are we crazy??

We need to go back to voting with our DOLLAR and refuse to buy foods and goods packaged in plastic!

String bags and paper shopping bags at the supermarket were OK until producers of plastic bags grabbed that market share!

Mfrs only make what sells .... the MAJORITY of ALL shoppers are the ones who decide what product stays for sale!

Read more about the brilliant work of William McDonough & Michael Braungart - www.mcdonough.com/cradle_to_cradle.htm .... who describe how industry formerly designed "Cradle to Grave" goods which are meant to be thrown away. Companies are now assisted to design "Cradle to Cradle" goods (including houses, cars, fabrics, furniture, shoes, etc.) which can be recycled - see details about their company at www.mbdc.com/biz_dlc.htm There is a fabulous CD available!

re: Get Rid of Your Trash and Save the Earth

anitaD. — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 03:46:42 GMT

Just wanted to let folks know that some Good Will Stores will accept usable rags, old towels, holey cotton T-shirts, and such. They tear them in saleable rags for car washes. Also does anyone know where to take old jeans for recycling into insulation?

re: Get Rid of Your Trash and Save the Earth

vsw — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 00:51:10 GMT

just wanted to say something about mc donalds'(i know-super unhealthy). happy meal boxes. you receive your 'meal'; sit down , take it out and in less than 2 minutes you now have an empty box that more often than not gets thrown away. i take them home and recycle them. i suppose i could tell them to just put it on a tray, hold the box. and those silly plastic 'toys'. i know, small scale when compared to a lot of other waste in the world, but waste none the less.

re: Get Rid of Your Trash and Save the Earth

curious7 — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 17:35:33 GMT

In the Pacific Ocean, near the Hawiian Islands there is a Texas size debris field of nothing but plastic, and this plastic kills everything in sight. Because we are not good "Stewards" of the earth. Sad to say the leaast. We can do better.

re: Get Rid of Your Trash and Save the Earth

LoriSm — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 15:44:27 GMT

Paradox,

Giving away old stuffed toys is not a bad idea! When your friend took his old stuffed toy out of storage all he had to do was wash it (run through the washer and dryer) which would have killed off the mold and dust that his son succumbed to. I periodically washed all of my kids' dolls and stuffed animals in order to keep them clean and dust-free. Toys get pretty filthy through general use. If it is a stuffed animal you are worried about coming apart, place it in an old pillow case, tie the pillow case shut, then proceed to wash and dry. Air drying in the sun can be helpful, too, though quicker in the dryer, plus the dryer will kill any bugs you might be worried about. I always washed toys in hot or warm water, followed by a trip in the dryer. I also used vinegar as a freshener. This regimen will kill all bugs. If you are still worried about infestations (lice/bedbugs), then place cleaned and thoroughly dried toys in plastic for two weeks.

I have always washed everything before I have donated it to charity or to anyone else. This includes clothing, toys, and even baskets. Even small play toys (not motorized) can be placed in a pillow case and washed in the washer to make them sparkling clean and fairly bug-free (including the "bugs" of germs).

Lori

re: Get Rid of Your Trash and Save the Earth

ReaderRabbit — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 15:39:43 GMT

Back in the 1800's in Utah territory, it was very hard to get certain types of items. The Governor, Brigham Young, created the mantra, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without. " Today it is too easy to get stuff, especially stuff we don't need. Today Brigham Young would probably say something like, Get rid of the junk and stop spending your hard earned cash on stuff you don't need!

re: Get Rid of Your Trash and Save the Earth

peace mama — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 15:37:20 GMT

I've been searching for a place to recycle old car seats. Can't donate/give away due to safety issues. The ONLY thing I've come up with through extensive internet search is to destroy them and put them in the dump :-( There's got to be a better way. We have four adopted children and did foster care, so we have lots of expired car seats due to the many diff types based on federal regulations for wt/ht of child. If anyone knows, please share. I've been storing these old seats because I hate the thought of putting them into the dump.

re: Get Rid of Your Trash and Save the Earth

4evergreen — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 15:09:36 GMT

As far as recycling clothes, I wouldn't hesitate to donate unwearable clothes as well. There are organizations like Goodwill which sell the unusables to companies which turn them into insulation. I don't if this is a nationwide program of there's or not. It would pay to ask local organizations if they do this as well. Our local PBA does. I have yet to ask if any of these places will take other useless nonclothing materials.

I also read recently that we are capable of recycling 80% of what we consume yet only recycle 28%. We have much room for improvement.