Why can’t we recycle more?

My daughter recently got an assignment that required her to make an item that could be used out of material that would normally been discarded. It was an interesting assignment and she had a lot of fun deciding on what to make and which materials to use.

I started thinking why don’t we all try to re use items so that we have less waste?

What can we recycle?

A close look at your home can reveal many items that can be recycled.  The jars that we buy can be used again as storage items after they have been carefully washed. Old wine bottles can be doubled as vases for a tasteful arrangement of flowers.

Do you have a lot of plastic straws? Well instead of throwing them away they can be used as material for weaving baskets for storage.

Although we have tons of plastic bags we still collect more when we go shopping.

Why not take a reusable bag the next time that you go shopping? This will eventually reduce how many plastic bags you accumulate.

Old towels and sheets can be used as dust cloths after they are cut into smaller pieces. If you have a creative flair you can give old clothing new life by using tie and dye techniques. Old newspapers can be used for creating collages for decoration.

What do you do with your vegetable peelings? Well instead of throwing it in the garbage try to use them to create a compost for your garden. You will have a beautiful garden and you will also save the environment!

Why should we recycle?

Is it really important to recycle? Well the answer to that is to look around. Garbage is piled high everywhere and often no thought is given to the fact that we live on an island and the garbage needs to be reduced.

If consumers manage their waste properly and recycle then we will reduce any health issues that arise because of the excess garbage. Recycling also saves money as items that are reused don’t need to be bought each time that they are needed.

So do you recycle? Let me hear from you!

Teri Ann Renee Paisley

Gleaner online writer

Tags: garbage, recycle