Where Does Your Recycling Go?

Below is a short video for those of us who wonder where our recycling goes after it's picked up from the bins we set out on the curb every week. 

I found this video encouraging in that recycling does give cardboard, cans, plastic and glass new life.  Even more encouraging is that these products can have almost infinite reincarnations, keeping garbage out of the landfills.

Some recycling statistics:

Got Sole??

No, not the fish, although that could be tasty.  What I'm talking about here are the soles on shoes.  How many shoes do you have?  How many do you need?  Arguably, most of us probably have way too many shoes in our closets.   Some we wear now and then, a few pairs of these, a couple of pairs of those in various colors, heel types, out-of-date styles, etc.  Although I did a post last year entitled Surrender your Soles about donating shoes to those who are in need, a recent stop at my local Good Will drop off location reminded me that it was probably time to take another inventory.  The receiving attendant commented that Americans have way too many shoes (based on the fact that the previous donation was over 50 pairs-- from one woman!).  Kudos to her for donating her shoes.

Here's an interesting thought:  Every year, between 100 and 300 million pairs of shoes end up in landfills.  What's worse is that these shoes take anywhere from 40 to 1000 years to break down, depending on what they're made from. 

Adding insult to injury, a quick Internet search indicates that nearly 300 million people are without shoes.  No shoes.  Period.  Think about how your daily life would be different if you didn't have any shoes to wear, or anything to protect your feet.

With Earth Day celebrating its 41st birthday on April 22nd, donating your gently used and rarely worn shoes to those in need is a great way to eco-step your way to a greener tomorrow and to help your fellow humans. What a great way to show your Earth Day spirit!

From personal experience, I can tell you that donating your shoes and spreading the word is not hard at all.  Last  year, I collected 57 pairs of shoes (from just my immediate family) and sent them to Soles 4 Souls. 


You can find the nearest Souls 4 Soles Drop off location here: 
http://www.soles4souls.org/about/locations.html
 
Below are some other excellent places to donate your shoes:
 
Goodwill
 
Salvation Army
 
Volunteers of America
 
I am sure there are others.  If you know of another place to donate shoes, please share.
 
Happy Eco-Stepping and Happy Earth Day!

Stubble Free Sustainability

Legs, armpits, beards, "other" places... Most adults in modern Western society shave something on our bodies to remove unwanted hair.  And according to Wikipedia, we've been shaving in some way, shape, or form for a long time-- since the Bronze Age.
In 1895, the concept of the safety razor was conceived by King C. Gillette and the arduous (or artful) task of shaving was revolutionized.  Then came along Schick, Bic, and then the electric shavers all to add to the list of modern conveniences.  And, well, you know the rest.  Or do you?  What about all of those single-use plastic disposable razors that we use once or twice, then pitch into the garbage and landfills to remain in perpetuity?

Creative Uses for Yogurt Cups and Lids

http://plasticrevolution.blogspot.com/2008/09/plastics-de-coded.html

As I finished my yogurt this morning, I cringed as I put it in the garbage can.  I have always been somewhat annoyed that the plastic used for most yogurt cups and containers is not readily recyclable.  I guess there probably is a good reason for it, but most containers I have seen have either #5 or a #7 symbol on the bottom and most recyclers, at least in my area, accept only #1 (PETE) and #2 (HDPE) for recycling.  So what can we do with these things to extend their life and usage before they eventually and unfortunately find their way to the landfill? 

Learning From Our Neighbors: Part I

This past weekend I had the opportunity and pleasure of traveling to visit family in Ontario, Canada.  It was a beautiful day, eh?  There were good times, excellent food and it was great to reconnect with cousins and meet brand new ones.  Throughout the course of the afternoon, many discussions were had about the differences between Canada and the U.S. when it comes to health care, recycling, and regulations surrounding food supply. And you know what?  Canadians do a lot of things right when it comes to all of those things. 

Another Good Reason to Step On Outta Those Hose!

Be nice to the planet and ditch those panty hose. Nylons are made out of petroleum.  Yep.   Even if you've ditched your gas-guzzling SUV and are now driving a hybrid or biking to work... you can still do just a little more to help the planet.  Here are some other things that are made out of petroleum.  You may be surprised...

Chewing gum:  It lasts as long as it does for a reason—just about all brands on store shelves today use petroleum-based polymers. According to my friends at Planet Green, Goodyear, the tire and rubber company, supplies Wrigley's with much of its gum base. Yummy!   

More from Planet Green: 

• Hair dye: As if the toxic chemicals in hair dye weren't enough reason to avoid coloring your hair. Try finding more natural alternatives, or just go au naturale.

• Asphalt : Also known as bitumen, the material used to resurface roads (as well as in roofing materials) is an oil-based hydrocarbon. Meaning—if you noticed that road construction slowed down in your area at all in the last year, rising oil costs may well have been the reason. 

   Crayons: The main ingredient is paraffin wax, a petroleum product also used in most candles.

  Ink: Ever wonder why so many companies with an eco-conscience tout their use of soy-based ink?

  Pantyhose: ...and all other nylon products. All petroleum-based.
  

  And there's more...

  Heart Valves. Pillows. Aspirin. Ammonia. Toothpaste. Toothbrushes. Guitar strings. Shoe polish. Tape. Rubbing Alcohol. Vitamin capsules. Solvents. Caulking. Insecticides. Deodorant. Glue.
  The wax layer of the packaging your frozen food comes in. (And, of course, the fertilizers that farmers used to grow much of that food.)
  
  Given the ubiquity of oil, it's not an easy thing to get away from, no matter how much bike-riding and food-growing we do for ourselves. (Though both of things are a great start—keep 'em up!) But, like other addictions, we got ourselves hooked, and with serious effort and dedication, we can get ourselves unhooked.

15 Totally Recyclable Materials That Most Of Us Keep Forgetting About

Shared from Greenwala.

Aerosol Cans
Mostly made of steel (and in certain cases aluminum), various types of disinfectants, hairsprays, paints and shaving creams are typically dispensed from aerosol cans and can be easirecycled through well over 5,300 US based programs as long as they are completely empty.