Sunday, March 21, 2010

Hippie Garbage

A lot of "hippie" things have been weighing on my mind lately.

A big one has been a lesson we all learned in middle school science class:

"Matter can be neither created, nor destroyed."

If this is true, then we have all the resources we will ever have, right now. And I'm not talking about oil, water, etc. This is not an energy discussion. I'm talking about, well, everything.

Every time we throw something away, and it goes to a landfill, that bit of matter has been taken away from our total resources, most likely not to return, until we are so destitute that we actually go looking for things we need in the landfills. Oh, but it's biodegradable! So what? Those landfills are not being turned over. If the piles of garbage are not being turned over, there is no air getting to these potentially biodegradable items, and what you have is no better than the plastic garbage bag, but you did pay more for it!

Even those orange peels may not degrade for a long time, once stuffed under a pile of plastic.

So, compost! But you know what, even if you don't compost, throw your leftover food into your yard. And while you're at it, throw that biodegradable stuff out there too. Eventually, you'll get a pile big enough to warrant some fencing, and voila!, compost! Ok, it's not that easy, but it's certainly a start.

I stumbled across a website today offering recycled items. But actual useful stuff! Stuff we use and chuck in the garbage without thinking twice! Things like razors! The very words, Disposable Razors, should make you cringe a little. These guys even have a toothbrush subscription plan! No need to worry about when to replace your toothbrush, they'll mail you one when it's time!

But let's take this one step further. You buy it recycled, that's cool. But when you're done, you probably still throw it in the trash right? These guys give you free mailing labels to mail your stuff back! They even have information on recycling your brita filters!

These products will be expensive, right? NO! They aren't even trying to rip you off! It's amazing! Now we still gotta figure out what to do with the actual blades, but it's a start for sure.

Take a minute to check these guys out. It could mean the world, to everyone.

Seriously, think about what you're putting in the garbage, and where it's going.

http://www.preserveproducts.com/

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Used razor blades are good to remove nobby sweater pills. Shaving your sweaters may seem like a weird way to spend a Sunday afternoon, but by freshening them up, you may discover that you'd like to get a little more mileage out them, rather than donate them or whatever. And yeah, f**k a bunch of hippies.

Michael A. said...

You're my favorite hippie, Becka! Reduce, reuse, recycle... that's my mantra. No problem with composting around here... anything edible instantly disappears if it's outdoors. I'm not sure what it is, but something snarfed up 7 rotten apples two nights ago.

Give 'em hell, B. You're on the right track.