Are you Recycling?
Who Me? Recycling - You're Kidding!
Today I do my best to keep this ole planet clean. I count it a privilege to be part of cleaning up this ole world.
It took a while to learn what waste went were. I had a crash course in when I moved to California.
My wife told me we would be penalized $500.00 if I put trash in the wrong bin. She told me several years later she kidding.
Actually she lied because she got tired of telling me not to put trash in the blue bin.
I laugh about it today, she knew I wasn't about to pay that much money for not putting trash in the right bin. Well, my friend it worked. Today, I don't put trash in the recycling bin.
For many years I didn't care about cleaning up the environment.
There was a time in my life that recycling anything was out of the question. Why recycle, the garbage folks can separate it they want it separated. I wasn't about to stick my hands in the trash. Today we have several garbage bins. The recycle goes in one and trash in another but not back then.
Today I recognize the problem and I am doing something about environmental concerns.
Recycling Facts
I lived in South Mississippi for years and... honestly, I didn't think about trash. I knew what day the garbage man came and that was about it. You throw it in the garbage and forget about the junk.
After hurricane Katrina I moved to California, remarried and began my education into the green movement.
Oh boy, did I learn about sorting through the trash and making sure the paper and other recyclable material was placed in the right trash bin. Lord have mercy on me if I didn't separate the trash before I put it in the right bins.
Honestly, I didn't know what to put where. In Cambria, California where I live we have three trash bins.
We have the big green trash bin where we put wood, leaves, grass or anything green.
Second, we have a gray, regular trash bin for all the real trash, the stinky stuff.
Third, the sacred recycle bin. It is blue and big and you can't miss the sucker. In this bin we put glass, cardboard, paper and anything else recyclable.
When I first arrived in California my wife told me we would be fined if we put trash in the recycle bins. I was double sure about what I put in recycle. She told me later she was kidding. She just didn't want me to put trash in the recycle.
Today I do what is necessary to protect our planet.
Are you willing to learn about going green without prejudice?
Can and will you have an open mind?
Let me tell you something interesting. Since I started this project "Going Green for Life" I have talked to a lot of people about going green.
I have had various reactions. Some think it is a great idea and others sort of have a "whatever attitude". This site is for everyone but the ones I would like to visit this site are the "whatevers" If you know a person like that have them visit this site.
The History of Recycling
This is interesting.
Recycled goods appeared in the 1500s - Spanish copper mines used scrap iron for cementation of copper, a reusing practice that survives to this day.
The practice could have started earlier but it seems to have begun in the 1500s.
In early pre-industrial times waste was mainly composed of ash from fires, wood, bones, bodies and vegetable waste. It was disposed of in the ground where it would act as compost and help to improve the soil. Ancient rubbish dumps excavated in archaeological digs reveal only tiny amounts of ash, broken tools and pottery.
Everything that could be was repaired and reused, populations were smaller, and people lived in less concentrated groups. However, the transition from nomadic hunter-gatherer to farmer meant that waste could no longer be left behind, and it soon became a growing problem.
Until the Industrial Revolution when materials became more available than labor, reuse was commonplace. Nearly 4000 years ago there was a recovery and reuse system of bronze scrap in operation in Europe and there is evidence that composting was carried out in China.
This process has always existed in the form of salvage, an ages-old tradition stretching forward to the Rag-and-Bone men. Traditionally, recovered materials have included leather, feathers and down, and textiles. Recycling included feeding vegetable wastes to livestock and using green waste as fertilizer.
Pigs were often used as an efficient method of disposing of municipal waste. Timber was often salvaged and reused in construction and ship-building. Materials such as gold have always been melted down and re-cast numerous times. Later recovery activities included scrap metal, paper and non-ferrous metals.
Click on these links for more information on recycling plastic and other material
Plastic Bottles-A new approach
New York Times Article
What do you recycle?
Sounds like a simple question and maybe most Californians and hippies know what to put in which bin but I didn't!
I don't have a thing against hippies and I married a California girl.
I still have to ask my wife about certain things to put in the blue bin. OK, I am learning as fast as I can but I still have questions.
I have a list I can go over if I have a question about what goes in which bin.
I am going to list a few links for you to examine. The list is long but don't get frustrated you can do this.
If you are motivated or interested in starting the process you are on the right page. Why not start today.
What to Recycle
Reusing Plastic Bottles Etc.
If you can't recycle - reuse!
Reusing plastic bottles or glass is in style. If you want to be in style trying reusing some of those plastic bottles, tubs or anything plastic. We use the butter tubs to store food. We use plastic bottles for a variety of things. All you have to do is rinse the suckers out and reuse them. Reusing anything will help the environment so start reusing those water bottles and tubs.
WANT TO RECYCLE THOSE BROKEN CRAYONS CLICK HERE Recycle Crayons
Big Profit in Trash!
Do you know what happens to the recycled goods once they are picked up by the trash truck? Do you know who makes money of the goods? I think you need to click on the link. You will be surprised who is making the big bucks on your trash. recycling - Big Profit
E-Waste
What do you know about electronic waste? For more information click on the link E-waste
Free TV Recycling coming to many states for more information click on this link Free TV Recycling
GreyWater
Do you know what greywater consist of and how to collect and use it to water your lawn or garden? You have to read this it is important. Click on this link to learn more about greywater and saving money. Greywater
Worms
Reprocessing food waste is easy with a home worm box. Follow this link to learn more. How to use Worms
Donating - Used Cell Phones
Do you have any used cell phones hiding around your house? Hey, disposing of these things correctly can be easy and worth money. You can also donate and help a soldier. Why don't you read the rest of this page to find out how to help a soldier or recycle these suckers and make a few dollars?
As I was clicking around researching this subject I found a great site which will allow you to help a soldier fighting for our country and get rid of that old cell phone in the process. I am really high on donating a cell phone to help a soldier. Please take a good look at donating. Donate Used Phones
Battery Recycling - Dispose of Batteries Properly
What do you do with an old, dead car battery? In this section, we are going to look at easy ways to dispose of batteries without being a battery expert. This process has to be simple and easy in order for the ordinary Joe, red neck Mike or me to take part in the recycling movement. Do you agree? Let's keep things simple.
A battery is a battery even if the composition of that battery is different. The real question is how you dispose of that batter safely. Batteries are dangerous and need to be handled with caution regardless type. In addition, if you don't know the difference between a safe battery and an unsafe one, treat them all with care.
For more on this subject click on this link What to do with old batteries
Old Computers - What to do with them!
What do you do with those old computers? As soon as a computer hits the market, it is outdated. People are buying new computers faster than rabbits reproduce. Computer technology explodes, old computers replaced with new ones. This explosion leaves computers relics in cluttered alleys, streets and land fills.
Donating old computers
Urban Wood Renewal
Urban wood renewal is one alternative for scrap wood and trees limbs. The primary focus of this page is about utilizing urban wood waste in a constructive manner.
Ned and Bonnie McElwain live in Cambria, California and are experts in the field of Urban Wood Renewal.
Ned and Bonnie own a little business called, "HE SAW, SHE SAW which is described as Distinctive Urban Wood Art.
What they do with scrap wood is incredible.
I spent a little time with Ned the other day watching him work on his distinctive designs.
The time and detail going into one of Ned and Bonnie's pieces is phenomenal.
The finished product shouts with class and beauty.
come take a look at this page for more information on Ned and Bonnie and green urban wood renewal. Urban wood renewal and Ned and Bonnies Page
Used Oil! What do you do with it
You have to read this article.
It is about changing your own oil, recycling old used oil and it is really funny.
Follow this link for more information. Reprocessing Used Oil...a must read MORE INFORMATION ON RECYCLING
RECYCLING CONTAINERS Where to find a container to recycle.
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Then suscribe to the Going Green Newsletter or to the Going Green Site Blog.
Return from Recycling Page to the Green Cleaning Page
Return from Recycling Page to the Going Green For Life Homepage
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