I have never really thought of ourselves as "green" (the catch-all catch phrase of the 21st century?!) but as the kids get older and we look within ourselves, being green doesn't only help the Earth, it can get us closer to financial freedom. What's the saying? If you can't beat 'em, join 'em? So my spiel on going green is something like this: RECYCLE and CONSERVE! Crazy, but by recycling cans, plastic and glass we get green cash back! And by conserving energy, water and waste we cut back on bills each month! Sounds like a win win situation to me :)
A friend of ours recently emailed me and asked me about a recycling place (she even called me "ms.green" although for the record, I consider myself more "lime-green" since I still drive more than I walk, shop at regular malls and wear cotton, eat regular vs organic foods and I haven't started collecting cans and bottles from the streets, only from my sister ;P) near her house. I was so happy I was able to help her! And I recently also started getting some kids involved by telling them "hey, you need more money for your piggy banks?" RECYCLE! It's easy and instead of the empty bottles and cans sitting in a landfill, taking up space and years to decompose...it can sit in another landfill somewhere if the skeptics are right about the recyclers being crooks...but hey, at least I can live with a good conscience that I did my part and I got money in the bank :)
So a couple of things to remember when recycling:
- ALL GLASS CONTAINERS can be recycled! You may just have to find a local facility that takes all kinds, but so far, the 3-4 closest facilities to our house ALL take them! Just place the lids of the glass containers (I'm talking spaghetti jars, baby food jars, wine bottles, fish sauce, etc.) and put them in your curbside recycling bin, but the glass part is MONEY :)))
- For Plastic bottles and containers, look for the Triangle symbol on ALL your plastic containers, and depending on materials it took to make the plastic, if there's a number 1 within the triangle...MONEY! I was shocked but actually a lot of everyday containers have this designation. I find it's most of the clear heavier plastics (yes, like our water bottles) that can be returned for the same amount as a regular water bottle...which you DID pay CRV for within the state of CA! Examples which you may not be aware of: Starbucks cold drinks, some of the vietnamese dessert cups, lids from "to-go" containers, soap dispensers, grape/salad containers from Costco :) Any other number, from 2-7 can also be recycled for $ but you really have to go to those big recycling plants and unless it's convenient and/or you have lots of storage space, it may or may not be worth your time. Oh, unfortunately, milk jugs do not seem to be popular...I was told by one recycler that he would only get $.01 (YES, ONE PENNY!) for every pound, so he doesn't take them because it takes up too much of his space. Go figure, since we go through about 2-3 gallons each week!
- Cans are actually the most "valuable" recyclable containers. I guess this is why you hear of "thefts" all the time. They are lightweight and compact vs glass which is heavy and bulky right? Just make sure they are aluminum cans (like soda) because they won't take the metal alloy ones, like soup, veggies, etc. Again, these other "mixed" metal containers can be returned for $ as well, but you have to take it to the plants.
- Paper of all kinds, except foil and metallic wrapping paper, textiles that are not contaminated by oils, paints or other chemicals, and random toys can all be placed in curbside recycling bins. I've looked into some plants, and apparently, they do take papers, etc, but again, if you have the inclination, check your local plants.
So that's my GREEN take :) here is a website for you to look up local centers:
www.recyclingcenters.org
happy recycling=happy earth=happy piggy bank!
maybe we can stimulate the economy by recycling and spending what we make...it seems like a better deal than what the markets and government provide us... ;P
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