50 Acts of Green: Day Twenty Nine - Recycling

Today I am going to move out of the kitchen specifically with the acts of green and go to more general changes. These next dozen or so will have to do with things for the whole house or ideas pertaining to shopping. The last category I will be looking at will be things I have learned and changed during these Fifty Days. Its been an interesting ride. 

Recycling. We are taught as children the three R's: Reduce, reuse, and recycle. Recycling is not only something you can do by sending stuff out to be recycled, but also something you can do at home. Reusing by making things into something else at home is still recycling. It is putting the item back into the use cycle in a new way. 

I love to travel, and if you know me you know I finished visiting all 50 United States last year. One of the things I always look at when traveling is what is recycled and how (I also always look into local sewer systems, a whole different fascination). Everywhere I've gone, I've taken pictures of recycling bins and kiosks and been surprised, sometimes happily and sometimes sadly, by what is recycled and how. I love localities that take recycling seriously and set up long rows of bins or canisters for specific uses. I love places that recycle all the dozen different types of plastic, instead of just the first few number classifications.  Abroad, I have seen recycling vending machines which pay money to people who care about their environment. I wish we could have those all over the world! 

When you are setting up home somewhere, or just recently have decided to recycle, always check with your municipality first. Usually there are specific programs in the area for different types of recycling. If your area has a drop off center, check what kinds of things are recycled and how they need to arrive in order to streamline the process. Recycling doesn't have to be a chore, and it can even be something fun (especially for little kids (or really anyone) who love seeing things squashed by heavy machinery). 

One small act of green, lots of resources saved and used again!

My kitchen recycling bins.

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