The Trash Picker Strikes Again
Yep, I did it again, and this time I got caught red-handed. It’s ok though because I was caught by a friend who would have done the same thing if she had seen it first. This morning there were 2 pink Pottery Barn Anywhere Chairs out with the trash across the street. WHAT!?! Who throws this kind of thing away? Of course, I had to save these from the landfill, so I hopped in the golf cart pulled up, piled them in and took them home. While I was there, I also found two orange throw pillows!
Don’t get me wrong, these chairs have been loved. But the covers are washable, so with a little stain remover I plopped those suckers into the wash. EVERY mark came off! And since they were not monogrammed, they are perfect. Check out the before and after pics of my find!
Before
After
Bonus pillows
Here’s to being green and reusing!!! 
Recycling isn’t just a Buzz Word
On a walk with my daughter the other day, I became increasingly bothered by the trash lining our streets. It was trash day, so to be expected there was a trash can at the bottom of every driveway – that wasn’t what bothered me. What bothered me was a peak inside my neighbors’ trash. Now before you think I was digging through the trash, let me assure you the trash I saw was spilling out of trash cans, could be seen through trash bags or was laid next to the trash can. The scary thing is that there may have been even more offenders, but I didn’t look through nice sealed trash cans.
On our walk, I saw the following things in the trash: a bedding set, an outdoor planter, cardboard boxes galore, beer cans, a framed and matted print in mint condition and more. Have my neighbors never heard of the Salvation Army or Goodwill? Both of which would have picked up the home items and given them new life. Maybe I am extreme, but I was crushed as I envisioned all of these castoff items lying in the landfill.
There were plenty of items in these piles that could have been recycled through our curbside recycling program, like the cans and the cardboard, but recycling isn’t just about the recyclable materials that the county picks up, recycling also means giving new life to old things. I don’t want to be “that” neighbor, so tempted as I was I did not take the print home with me to send to charity. (That and I wasn’t sure I could carry the giant print and push my daughter’s “pink car” at the same time.)
Since I won’t be going door to door in my neighborhood preaching about recycling… I will do it here instead. LOL
Recycling isn’t hard (especially for those with curbside pick up), but it does take a mental shift to remember to do it. We are big recyclers in our house, but we are always on the look out to make it easier. To that end, we just purchased this pullout double recycle bin to install under our cabinet. We are excited for it’s arrival.
To make this recycle bin purchase a deal, we redeemed our MyPoints & Swagbucks to cover the cost of this purchase. Yep, we used our rewards to get this bin for free. So now we will even be organized in our recycling.
Recycling isn’t just a fancy buzz word, it is a little something we can all do to help preserve our planet. It isn’t just for the super granola (which I am not) it is for TheSuburbanMoms and their families, it is for all of us. So think before you toss… can this be recycled or repurposed and given a new life? Recycling, pass it on…
Making Our Home Green
I have been part of the “green” movement since I was in elementary school. Even back then, I decided it was cool and necessary to recycle and pushed my family do adopt the practice. (I am happy to report that after much prodding, my dad finally puts his cans in the recycle bin!) While I like to think of myself as “green,” I know there is still much more I could be doing. But if we all start small and build, together we will make a difference, one step at a time!
Twitter Moms and LighterSaferGreener.com are hosting a blogging contest, they are asking bloggers to share our ”Top Three Green-Living Tips.” So, in accordance to the blogging contest and my desire to encourage others to be green, here are my Top 3 Green-Living Tips!
1) Bring your own bag! Even to me, this seemed a little daunting at first – how would I ever remember. But I found that the more I did it, the more I wanted to do it. I felt good about saving that bag, plus I bought myself some cute bags (made of 100% recycled bottles) that I would like to carry! Once you make a commitment to yourself you can do it. BONUS – some stores like Target and CVS are passing along their bag savings to you in the form of a discount!
2) Recycle EVERYTHING! My family is very lucky that our curbside recycling collects all types of plastics, papers and more. I know some municipals are more selective as to what can be recycled, but the only way to know is to check. Look up your county municipaland see what you can recycle curb-side, once you know recycle everything they will take! We greatly reduced our trash output in 2009 just by confirming what could be recycled. Cereal boxes, tissue boxes, plastic blister packages, junk mail and more – we now fill 2 recycle bins every week and only about 1/2 a trash can. Now that’s progress!
3) Give the Gift of Recycling. When curb-side recycling isn’t an option, you can mail in your recycled items. I know, I know another cost. Trust me, the frugalista in me doesn’t like spending money to dispose of something I can toss for free, but some things kill me to throw away. For example, batteries. Besides the nasty acid that can leak out, how long do you think they ”live” in the landfills? So, this holiday season give your family a recycling kit. The kit arrives with a box to fill with your recyclables and then postage paid to return it for recycling. I bought our family a box about 6 months ago, it sits in the cabinet where the fresh batteries are kept and when a battery needs replacing the old one goes in the box. At some point, we will fill the box, ship it back to be recycled and I will buy a new one. A small investment to keep batteries out of our landfills!
4) Bonus tip #4 – Pass it along! If you can’t/won’t use it any more, don’t throw it out, pass it along! I know you have head this before, and people are getting better about donating old items to charity, but take it a step further. My neighbor and I have an unspoken exchange program. Anything we can’t/won’t use I give to her family and visa versa. We pass along extra food, coupons, diapers and more. Anything that might go to waste if it isn’t used is passes along. (Which reminds me, I have a new loaf of bread to give her that will go bad while we are gone for the holiday!)
So, there are 4 easy things you can do to help your family be a little greener. I hope you will try to implement one of these steps for 2010 and beyond!
CVS’s Reusable Bag Program – Earn $1 Every 4th Visit
I am so excited about CVS’s new program to encourage people to use reusable bags. Not only will you earn ECBs by participating, but every time someone participates bags will be saved from the landfill and energy and resources will be saved because the plastic bag won’t have to be made in the first place.
So, here is the skinny! Purchase a “Greenbagtag” at any CVS (mine just got these tags in this week!). The tags cost $.99, which you will earn back in 4 visits!!! Then attach the tag to your favorite reusable bag, so you will have it with you every time you shop. When you check out, make sure the cashier scans your ExtraCare Card and your Greenbagtag. Every 4th visit $1 ECB will print on your receipt to use at your next visit!
Here are a couple more things to love about the program: tag made with corn-based material, an annually renewable resource, Lanyard made from 100% recycled silicone, Card made from 100% recycled paper.
CVS and Target have programs now that offer you cash back for using reusable bags, who is next? In the mean time, use your reusable shopping bags everywhere you go!!!
UPS Goes Green
I guess I have been a bit out of the loop, since I don’t spend much time in the office any more, but UPS has introduced a Reusable Express Envelope. I love it! I have always hated those 1-time-use packs, bringing them home with me to be recycled. Now you can use them 2xs — and not by jerry-rigging it, but by acutal design!
Already made with post-consumer waste, the resuable envelopes give each envelope the opportunity for a double life! The recipiant opens the enveleope like normal, and then peals back to reveal a new sticky strip ready to send the envelope on its next journey.
USPS and FedEx – TAKE NOTE. We want more mailing materials out of post-consumer waste that can be reused!
