Tag: recycling

Posted in Life

A lot of money for a little bit of trash

Posted on by William Douthwaite

“Hey, if you’re going to Walmart, we need a trash can for the back bedroom.”

“Got it. See you soon.”

The back bedroom is now a scrapbooking, 3D and edible ink printing, and cookie packaging room. I’m constantly carting out paper trimmings, sticker backing, and leftover 3D printing scraps. A trash can back there will be a welcome addition to the room.

At Walmart, I pushed my shopping cart towards the “Home” aisles, where I was sure I’d find a not-too-ugly container. I was right. I had a whole aisle full of them to choose from.

But I was not prepared for the cost of a simple can. The first few metal cans I looked at, with a foot pedal to open the lid, were $49.95. That’s crazy. There must be something cheaper. Right next to them were some that would set me back $80. But they were equipped with a motion sensor, so that the can would open anytime you passed by.

I was ready to give up and go get the rest of my list. But at the other end of the aisle, there were a few $24.95 models. Rather than metal, it was a metallic-looking plastic. It felt flimsy, but I wasn’t going to use it that much, so I went ahead and bought one.

What did I expect? I guess I was hoping to get a basic container for under twenty bucks. Unfortunately, few things I but for around the house cost less than $20!

Ironically, my son had ordered one of those deluxe motion-sensor cans for his kitchen just a month ago. In haste, he had Amazon deliver it to our home rather than his, so I had to return it for him. At his home, the can would get a lot of use, so the investment made sense for him.

Posted in Life, trash

Trash talk

Posted on by William Douthwaite

The wide variety of trash and recycling out on the curb this morning impressed the big dog and me on our walk. We saw massive piles of trash in front of some homes and just a small bag in front of others.

A family a few houses up the street only ever puts out a recycling bin. They rarely put out a container of trash. How do they do that? They are a family of four, and they hardly throw out anything.

On the other hand, the folks a few houses in the other direction put out multiple overflowing trashcans, along with a stack of trash bags, a pile of boxes, and an overflowing recycling bin. Not just once a week, but two times a week! For a two-person household.

On any given trash collection day, I will see at least three mattresses, two vacuum cleaners, either a dishwasher or a refrigerator, lots and lots of pizza boxes, and a recliner.

I love to see how some organize their recycling bin, with all the cardboard folded to one side and cans and bottles lined up on the other. Picture perfect. I break down all my boxes to get as many in as possible. Most people just pile up all the Amazon boxes any which way.

Some (like me) have all the trash tied up in bags in a lidded container. Others just throw whatever in the can and drag it out Tuesday morning.

So much trash. For all our efforts at recycling, I believe we only have more to throw away. I don’t even know where they put it all.

I’ll add to the pile this Friday. A new range arrives on Thursday, so the recently deceased old one will be on the curb Thursday night. Maybe someone will come by and take it for repair or scrap. Maybe not.

Posted in recycling

A swimsuit from recycled plastic

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Most of the recycling bins out on the curb this morning were chock full of empty water bottles.

On the one hand, that’s a good thing. It beats having all of them sitting in landfills for who knows how long. And it means that people are drinking a lot of water, which is healthy.

On the other hand, we have good tap water in our community. Unless you’re stocking up for a hurricane or you need to pack some drinks for a trip, how much bottled water do you really need to buy to drink at home? Is it really better than what comes from your faucet at home?

And, the bathing suit I just bought from Fair Harbor clothing is made from recycled water bottles and a little bit of spandex. Now you might think such swimwear would be a little uncomfortable. I don’t know how they do it, but the fabric is soft, feels great, and dries quickly.

So far, I’ve only bought the one suit made from twelve plastic bottles. But they also make shorts, pants, t-shirts, polos, and hoodies. I had a coupon and am getting a rebate for my first purchase. Since it’s pricey, I wait and see if they send me discount codes to buy more stuff.

Posted in Life

Look at all those cardboard boxes

Posted on by William Douthwaite

On my early morning walks I’ve been impressed with the amount of cardboard in recycling bins in my neighborhood. I’ve learned a lot about my neighbors ands they’ve probably learned a lot about me.

We do a lot of shopping, and just about everything comes in a cardboard box. So I know who’s just bought a new TV, vacuum cleaner, printer, or set of put-it-together-yourself furniture. I know who gets meal kits delivered. Diaper boxes reveal who has babies. Homes with dogs have Chewy boxes on the curb. Toy boxes announce weekend birthday parties. I know what kind of beer and seltzer you drink, whether you prefer Costco or Sam’s Club, and the sugary cereal you feed your kids (or consume yourself). I never realized how much privacy you surrender when you conscientiously recycle!

Not only does everything come in a cardboard box, but everything usually comes in a large cardboard box. I know you’ve purchased small items online that were delivered in boxes ten times their size, padded with yards of paper or plastic bubbles. I imagine it’s easier to ship items that way rather than have many different sized boxes on hand. It just makes it more challenging to get all that cardboard broken down and fit into a modest recycling bin.

I’ll admit that I’ve been putting less cardboard into my recycling bin lately. That’s because I’ve been reusing all my boxes to ship items I’ve been selling online. I’ve discovered the demand for used books, toys, and household goods, so I’m thankful for all those cardboard boxes delivered to my front porch each week.

Cardboard boxes aren’t a new thing. The first cardboard boxes were used in England over 200 years ago. Why does it seem like there are so many more of them? We’re buying more and more stuff!