Rethinking recycling – When you move, donate goods and share resources!

Good morning to you all.

As I have mentioned before, my husband and I are on the verge of moving to a new apartment. When looking for our new place, we came to the understanding that we would have to sacrifice space for location in order to be happier and greener :

• Moving to a better built and more recent building meant less energy wasted through unsealed windows and outdated heating.
• Closer to work and our community garden meant less of the car being driven.
• Walking distance from the farmer’s market and our favourite local stores for food and fun meant the same.

But in this process, we lost 160 sq.ft and no longer have a basement storage unit. (Not that I’m complaining because we have now an underground parking spot so no need for de-snowing and idling the car in winter.)

So, we decided this would be the perfect time to really reassess what we were actually going to move and what we were getting rid of. Hard and long process, but a satisfying one to say the least! So I thought, since we are probably not the only ones doing massive spring cleanings or getting ready to move, I would share some ideas on items you may not have thought of donating but that are great to share and give away.

Toys and clothes :

That is an easy one! Everyone knows that they have local clothes banks and toy drives. No surprise there, but still, a reminder is always good. Toys can also be donated to daycares, children’s hospitals and shelters.

Bedding, towels, wash cloths :

You can donate all kinds of linens to homeless shelters and women’s shelters around your city. Towels and blankets can also be donated to local animal shelters to be used as beds in the cages.

Dishes, utensils and cookware :

Soup kitchens and shelters always have a need for extra dishes and things to cook with. Or, you could simply ask a friend if they need them! I’ve made so many starter kits for friends, I lose count. It’s always a great way to share.

Pet supplies :

Animal shelters need everything from litter boxes to food dishes, food, leashes, bedding, toys, carriers… if you use to have a pet (or like us, have pets that have outgrown their first litter boxes and carriers), then take them to your local shelter. You can also donate old hamster, bird, rabbit cages or aquariums to local grade schools to use in classrooms.

Books and magazines :

Local public libraries, high schools, grade schools, clinics, hospitals (long care units can use the books) and even local detention centers and prisons, will gladly accept donation of reading materials.

Shampoos, conditioners, soaps and other toiletries :

We all have in our home leftover bottles of shampoo, body washes, soaps, etc. that we have gotten on a whim and not used fully. Places like women’s shelters, were women and their families come in with very little in their possession, need things like that to help out.

So as you are going through your old things, please think of how they can be reused.

I hope you have a great day!


What do you share and donate in your community?

Recycling plastics: How to read and understand recycling symbols

So, I’m pretty sure most of you already recycle plastic on a daily basis. If you don’t, here are a few facts on plastic waste in the United States that I got off a blog I found called Say No to Plastic:

• A plastic milk jug takes 1 million years to decompose.
• A plastic cup can take 50 - 80 years to decompose.
• Americans use 2.5 million plastic bottles every HOUR.
• Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kill as many as 1 million sea creatures every year.
• Today, Americans generate 10.5 million tons of plastic waste a year but recycle only 1 or 2% of it.
• An estimated 14 billion pounds of trash, much of it plastic, is dumped in the world’s oceans every year.
• The worldwide fishing industry dumps an estimated 150,000 tons of plastic into the ocean each year, including packaging, plastic nets, lines, and buoys.
• Each of us creates 1,500 lbs of trash every year that has to be disposed of much of it could be recycled.
• Every year we make enough plastic film to shrink-wrap the state of Texas.

In Canada alone, according to the Waste Reduction Week website, we as a population take home over 55 million plastic shopping bags every WEEK.

Recycling is available almost everywhere now. But all plastics are different and not always as readily recyclable in certain areas. We’ve all noticed the little triangle with a number in the middle and letters underneath. But many of us think “recycling symbol means recycling bin”… It is not always so.

Here is a breakdown of recycling symbols to help you buy products sold in containers that you will be able to recycle and that won’t be harmful to your health:

• 1 : polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE)
• 2 : high density polyethylene (HDPE)
• 3 : polyvinyl chloride (V or PVC)
• 4 : low density polyethylene (LDPE)
• 5 : polypropylene (PP)
• 6 : polystyrene (PS)
• 7 : other (various polycarbonate)

Now, the safest plastics, and the ones you’ll eventually want to reuse, are labeled 2(HDPE), 4(LDPE) and 5(PP). Extensive research has shown no leaching of chemicals. This is why most containers (condiments, squeezable bottles, etc.) are made from them. Keep in mind that number 5 plastics, although not so harmful once produced, they are very harmful during productions and are not always readily recyclable.

Now, 1(PETE) is one of the most widely used and recyclable plastic (water bottles and soft drink bottles are made of it) and are safe for users, they are not designed to be reused. After a certain time, the chemicals in the plastic will start breaking down and that’s when they start becoming harmful. They are also known for harboring bacterial growth, so if you must buy water bottles, do not reuse them over and over again. Just throw them in the bin.

Now the ones you REALLY don’t want are 3(PVC), 6(PS) and 7(OTHER). These are the ones that have very dangerous toxins and are very rarely accepted in recycling programs. If you guys have read my shower curtain post I don’t need to tell you how bad these are for you.

So next time you are at the grocery store and you are buying your plastic packaged goods, flip the jars and bottles over. You will help the environment by choosing plastics that are easily recyclable and will in the process take batter care of your health.

Hope this was interesting for you guys: Be safe and green!

How to reduce waste in your home.

Like I've been saying from the moment I started my blog, every little thing we do to help the environment makes a difference. Sometimes we get overwhelmed at thinking of a full green conversion. How will it affect our day to day life? Well I've decided to quickly list a few simple steps I've taken to reduce waste in my home and in the process, sending less waste to the landfills.

1- Just because you recycle, doesn't mean there is no waste! We all try to do our best and recycle everything we can. It's not always easy, but most of us do as much as possible. But the truth of the matter is that even if you recycle, a lot of waste is created during the production of the recyclable materials... It's important to understand the 3 Rs of a greener life : Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. When you buy foods in containers that can be recycled, also think of how they can be reused. Yogourt containers, plastic ice cream buckets, glass jars and bottles... they can all be reused in your day to day life.

2- Graduate from paper coffee filters : If you are a fan of coffee like I am, you probably make coffee everyday. That is 365 paper filters that go in the trash a year. And I know you may say its paper and paper is biodegradable, but stop and think. Most filters are made from new paper, which means trees are being cut down. Plus, most of them are bleached which is a process that puts a lot of chemicals in the environment and, well, your coffee! Did you know that tons of companies like Krups, Mr. Coffee, Medelco, Hamilton Beach (to only name a few) make reusable, permanent filters that sell for a few dollars and last you years! You can get them in basket and cone shapes. They are great and totally washable!

3- Baking can be green too! So how many of you out there love baking? I know I adore it. I make muffins all the time. When you start adding it up though, it really gets scary : 12 muffins every 2 weeks : Over 300 paper cups to put them in and throw away every year. Really, it isn't necessary. Most of us have non-stick bakeware and with a minimal coating of canola oil, you have perfectly unstuck muffins or cup cakes!

4- Wrapping wrapped produce? We all have the habit of grabbing those little plastic produce bags at the grocery store. But are they really necessary? Fruits and veggies with delicate and breakable skins like tomatoes, plums, bell peppers, apples, maybe... But why put onions, bananas, oranges and grapefruit in them too? Nature offers a variety of pre-wrapped foods ready to be simply brought home. And for those of you who simply MUST have the bags, try these reusable ones : ECOBAGS makes organic cotton drawstring that way less than 0.10 lbs on the produce scales.

5- Trapped biodegradable waste cannot biodegrade! No matter how much biodegradable waste we throw out like food and paper towels, the reality is that if you trap them inside a non-biodegradable trash bag, they will stay for years and years in a landfill somewhere. Most biodegradable trash bags are made from a treated polyethylene material that has a biodegradable cycle of 12 to 14 months. According to Munger Nature, a Québec company that makes amazing biodegradable plastic products, the oxo-degradable principal transforms the polyethylene into biodegradable matter. The site's info is a wonderful read, you should really click and see...

I hope these little tips help you take those first steps into a greener everyday life!