Recycle Guide

Is this really getting recycled? Do I need to wash it out first? Does paper mean all things made of trees? - therefore my snotty tissue can go in the recycle bin, along with every tiny piece of paper, like receipts? What about plastic, as in plastic bags, wrapping or packaging??

I don't know about you guys, but these are the questions I have asked myself over time, and a little research has helped clear things up for me, so I thought I'd share!

Tip #1 When in Doubt, Throw it Out
This one was hard for me to swallow, because when in doubt, I'd resort to recycling it. But I have learned that this can do more harm than good(see link to Closet Environmentalist, she seems to be an expert in waste management). Apparently, the first stage of the sorting process for recycling is done by hand. So if there is anything on the top of the bin that you thought should be recycled, but it in fact isn't recyclable, it could lead to the whole pile being discarded! So when in doubt, throw it out. This will avoid wasting an entire pile of perfectly good, recyclable materials, underneath the item in question, from getting trashed.

Tip #2 Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
Some of us stick with the basic plastic bottle/glass bottle recycling method, while others (guilty as charged!) are recycling fanatics and take it overboard, trying to recycle everything little thing that might make a difference. I will call myself out here and say that, although this is sweet and well-intentioned and all, it is pretty much unnecessary. So I've discovered. According to the experts, the sorting process -especially for paper- blasts out most of the smaller pieces in the sift and trashes them. Therefore, tissues, napkins, receipts and all the tiny bits of tree you tried to save aren't (unfortunately) being added to the pile. Phone books, stacks of office paper, cardboard boxes, etc can all happily be recycled though- so don't give up on paper! However, plastics, like wrapping and bits of packaging, are also pointless to try and recycle. Again, stick to the bulk of plastic bottles, cartons, grocery bags and condiment/produce tubs. But most importantly make sure they have the plastic codes, featured in the picture below. #1 and #2 are the best to recycle.



Tip #3 Cleanliness is Godliness.er.Recyclable-ness?
Relating to Plastic and Paper only, (because glass containers are processed at such high temperatures that they don't need to be cleaned), but if it's plastic or paper and it's dirty/greasy it won't even be considered. For non-greasy items, give it a rinse. But for plastic jars in contact with oil, like peanut butter jars or plastic salad dressing bottles, I recommend a good scrub to try and remove all residue. This one is a toss up though - Some say it's a waste of time and you should just conserve water and trash them because of the grease contamination. Pizza boxes and grease soaked papers fall in this category too. Contaminated, therefore non-recyclable!

Tip #4 One World, Many Recycling Programs
Every area has a different set of recycling standards, as in whether the city recycles at all or how many different types of items they recycle. Check your local recycling program for a better idea of what's collected/accepted in your area. I'd love to eventually provide a map with links to recycling guides per city..but this is a bit ambitious...maybe one day(or month) when I have a lot of time! For now, Google works wonders. Google: Recycle Guide______(your city/county).

Check it Out: http://www.obviously.com/recycle/guides/common.html
I thought this general consumer guide was really helpful and also highlighted the great point of checking bottles/packaging before you even buy products, to see if they are easily recyclable by what code they use(again the picture above). This makes your process much easier and helps you shop wisely buy only choosing brands that are up with the times and doing business with the Earth in mind!

Some thoughts

People are starting to want to live green so they try to recycle, buy organic healthy foods, switch light bulbs, but we have to start thinking about what can come before all that. Instead of  just trying to recycle everything, don't use so much stuff in the first place (less is more), use reusable bottles instead of plastic, buy products packaged in the least amount of stuff(glass jars, simple packaging- dont you hate it when one tiny item comes in like a fortress of plastic!?) Now, packaging is mainly up to the manufacturer but people can think of alternatives to buying that product, like make it ourselves, get creative, keep it simple( do we really need it?). And with food, instead of trying to buy organic everything or listening to all these "natural, healthy" advertisements for food, teach people how to turn the package over and look at whats in their food! The least amount of ingredients the better! Grow your own food, start co-ops, shop locally/farmers markets. This is how things were done back in the day so I know we can do it again. And definitely time organization is huge and an energy saver, have one laundry day, one food canning day, one shopping day, etc. I think the only way to teach people these things is: One- to get their attention with negative facts
(researching waste statistics is always alarming for me, I found a great video that talks about how keeping it simple is the key because we all have way too much stuff -here is the link www.storyofstuff.com/ ) Two- show them how easy it is to change and get back to basics/keep it simple & how rewarding it is for your life and the environment!

The Idea behind PrioriTcheck shirts

I believe we need a higher awareness level about the state of our environment and the urgency of climate change. In my generation and younger, I feel people around the world are not taking the issues of the environment seriously. Either young people are not aware of the extent of our climate crisis, do not understand global warming or they may feel helpless to stop Earth's changes. My environmental organization would address this dire issue. Its aim would be to raise awareness among young people across the globe on climate change, issues causing it and ways to live more sustainably. The issue of climate change not only needs to reach young people in alternative ways, but it needs to be accepted and embraced just like other issues they hold significant. Instead of the negative connotation that caring for the environment seems to have today, we want young people to be proud and passionate about their concern for the environment.

Therefore, this organization's goal is to raise awareness on environmental issues and how everyday people can leave a lighter footprint on the earth and reduce effects of climate change. Some examples would be bringing the issues to light at music concerts and environmental festivals. By using outlets of music and entertainment to reach our target market with the urgent message of global warming, we not only reach this generation through sources they are familiar with, but we also grab their attention and encourage their involvement through the musicians they look up to. I believe even fashion can be used to raise awareness about such issues. Printing clever messages about climate change, the serious state of our environment and ways to help on t-shirts is an “in your face” way of raising awareness. The t-shirts can be promoted and sold at the music festivals, even possibly worn by the artists to spark demand and mass marketed and sold online with the goal of getting the message out. It is also a great method to popularize environmental issues in a way that catches on as a trend. Again, the end result of this is not to belittle the issue of living more green by making it yet another trend, but to use the popularity of that trend as an alternative method of getting the message across, because the traditional methods of preaching the facts just isn't working.

The shirts would be organic cotton and printed with water-based, eco-friendly dyes. A percent of the proceeds from the sale of shirts, concert and festival tickets, etc. would go to renewable energy projects. Therefore giving the organization a second tier of funding actual change for the environment along with its main focus of raising awareness about the issue.