Recycling is have a rough time right now with the economy running amok. Many companies who sell recyclables are having a tough time finding buyers. Many companies no longer taking certain recyclables like cardboard and plastic and many companies are closing their doors or hoping to warehouse their recyclables until there is an up-swing in the markets.
But what most Americans are forgetting is that recycling has always been a three-fold proposition.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
So what can we do now with our recyclables now that there is no market for their resale? It is time for America to become less of a disposable society.
We need to remember the first part of our motto and reduce the amounts of trash that we produce. We need to remember to reuse what we can in our everyday lives. We need to produce new green business that could take things like cardboard and turn it into things like organic fertilizer.
You and I, the average American, can start by telling companies that we want them to start packaging their products in more earth friendly containers. This is a time when we need to take a step back and really think about if the benefits of plastic are worth ruining our planet, our home, for.
If as a nation we stand as one and demand that companies comply with federal regulations on recycling we can all benefit. But some recycling must start in the home. Reusing plastic containers and repurposing other plastics will make a difference in this time of trouble. Plastic water bottles now fill our landfills when we with a little effort can bottle our own. Paper can be shredded to use as packing materials and used as bedding materials for worm beds. These beds could produce enough organic materials to provide much needed soil improvement all around the globe and even in our own backyards.
We as a nation are some of the brightest and well educated people on the planet. It is time that we stood up as a leader in reducing and reusing and recycling. As easy as it was to put our recyclables on the curb for some one else to deal with, it can be will a little though just as easy to reduce and reuse.
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