Very few people would be bragging about their curbside when it looks like this!But not me! I am so proud to be showing you this picture because it illustrates our family mission this month, (ok, maybe more my mission) but we are all on board.
It all began with my arrogance of being a 'recycler.' I wore a glittering tiara made of recycled milk cartons and alumimum cans because of my recycling pride. Yet, instead of being a true model of Green - I was only half way working the system. Little did I know that I would be called to the proverbial carpet (though a carpet made of cork or other renewable resources).
Cody, Missy, Julie, and Kathy were hanging out with Nate and I, exactly a month ago. So, as Cody begins to place a glass brown bottle into our trash - I quickly announced that WE recycle and there is a special container for brown glass bottles. Boy did I sound pretentious as I said that to our friend. Though how wrong this whole conversation would turn. There on the edge of a Green Lecture, did he begin to pull out items in our 'trash' that should be in the recycle bin. A few key quotes from that night....
"Tortilla chip bags are recyclable, oh, so are potato chip bags."
"Bottle caps aren't trash," Cody had good reason to point that out since he contributed about 5 to the trash can.
"Why are you putting your veggie peels in the trash and not into a compose pile?"
"Your city recycling program doesn't make you separate?" Huntington resident Missy asked.
"Half of this 'trash' isn't trash at all."
"Styrofoam can be taken to another recycling plant."
"I have more recycling than trash," braggart Julie stated.
It was mutiny! So, after a careful analysis of my trash and recycling habits - I vowed to turn over a new green leaf. So this last month, our goal was to have more recycling than trash (take that Julie). To use less packaging and to recycle everything that we could.
This picture demonstrates our effort. Note that 5 of the bags are yard waste that will be sent to the city compost pile to be used to make new, black healthy soil. The cardboard boxes will quickly decompose and the plastics/aluminum will be melted down and reused.
Now I can brag a bit more sincerely and with a bit of a smaller (recycled) tiara.
