Recycle 2 Save

We recently shared our thoughts on what is wrong or "going on" with recycling. I admit it was out of sheer frustration, but 100% true. We paused accepting material direct from residents at our facility due to the overwhelming amount of garbage received and litter that was occurring despite repeated warnings and postings.  We were absolutely shocked at the response we received. Some were angry and frustrated (at us) and other residents explained how frustrated they'd become seeing the bins they used littered with items they knew didn't belong. We even had one resident explain that they had themselves cleaned up material that was thrown outside the bins, despite having room inside.  Although we have expressed such frustration with people who refuse to cooperate and follow instructions we have also spoken and interacted with so many who go above and beyond. Our goal is and has always been, to increase not only the recycling efforts but the positive recycling impact of ou...

You come home from work and in place of the organized and mess-free home, you left this morning, you enter chaos. Even an amateur hunter could follow the trail across the entire first level and lead to the bedrooms of the accused. Step by step, sock by sock and paper by paper anger rises as you walk. You are about to blow. With so many examples of wrong behavior, how can you open the door and celebrate the homework that is currently being worked on?  It may be a leap, but in my mind, this is the current state of recycling.  We read articles, watch news stories, and see blips on our social media. Recycling is going in the wrong direction and the pollution and destruction of our environment are at an all-time high, or is it? Sometimes when you are so close, you cannot even make out the big picture, you are not getting an accurate view, it's just all blurry and messy.  Recycling by nature is messy (both figuratively and literally). When you are dealing with "trash" you don...

  Holding way too much in my arms and hands, not a finger to spare (I am a huge fan of the lazy man's load - as my husband always tells me), I try to use my foot as the lever to open the door in front of me. After the first few failed attempts I struggle to shift the weight of the many overflowing items in my arms and reach with my elbow. Somehow, almost unexpectedly the door abruptly swings open, I lose the disheveled balance of every item that I was haphazardly clinging to, and one by one they crash to the ground. "Stupid door" is my immediate and gut response. As I look back and chuckle (now), how did I not think that would happen, how can I call anything but my actions "stupid"?   Despite my newfound clarity, after the fact, it is so hard in the moment to recognize that our own decisions are often what lead to unfavorable outcomes. Frustration, disappointment, embarrassment, and sometimes fear (during larger mishaps)  take over and we feverously search for a...

In order for goals to be kept and exceeded people need to be motivated. Some people have an easier time getting and staying motivated all by themselves, others need periodic stroking, some need consistent prodding, while others may need to be pulled.  Knowing what motivates people to start as well as how to keep them going can help to shape your message and improve your impact. This would go for something as common as New Year health goals, organization practices, quitting smoking, eating healthier, or improving the recycling and waste reduction in a household, or business. We are very biased but we feel that recycling is pretty essential. We do also feel that following the first two R's first is necessary (1. Reduce & 2. Reuse). We want to be sure that as an organization we are helping to motivate residents and businesses alike to continue to improve their recycling impact.  So, please help us out.  Tell us what motivates you to recycle with care & reduce waste?...

Recycling markets are in a very tough spot right now. While some individuals and businesses may not know most have felt the strain or have at least heard the buzz. The bulk of the issues have been an issue for a really long time it's just gotten a lot worse. It's kind of like when your child tries to go on a hunger strike and will only eat dessert. You can let it go and hope for it to pass, with the likelihood of it spreading to your other children, or you can put an end to it (or at least put a plan in place to slowly put an end to it). In the recycling industry we need a plan. My plan starts with education by explaining what I believe the real issues are. 1. Contamination is real and the absolute HUGEST issue. Some recycling rules can be extremely confusing; items that are accepted, preferred, and completely fine in one program can cause big issues for another. Other times (lots of times) there are items that are clearly NOT recyclable that are carelessly placed in th...

We love Earth Day.   It reminds those who care but sometimes forget that they need to keep our environment and planet healthy and safe for the generations that will follow in our footsteps (those who currently don't have the power or voice to protect it themselves).  It motivates those who care but sometimes get caught up in their own lives and forget the true impact their personal decisions have on everyones future.  It celebrates the careful selections that each person makes when they focus on what their choices mean to others and our Earth.  It teaches children that of all the "stuff" that they possess some are absolutely irreplaceable.  We have only one planet for all our futures. 

I pride myself in trying to make environmentally friendly choices and decisions. I try to avoid things that are used once and tossed. I was determined that as my son started 1st grade and was packing his lunches and snacks daily that we were not going to use the traditional throw away sandwich bags. I bought a bunch of reusable snack bags with cool designs that he could be proud to show off.  We had a bit of a tough start to the school year and it wasn't made any easier by complaints that his sandwich was a mushy mess by the time the lunch bell rang. Darnit.. my well thought out plan didn't work quite as I anticipated. So, determined to keep at it I put a standard sandwich bag on the outside and the reusable inside and began the war with my son.. complete with begging, pleading, idol threats and  "DO NOT THROW ME AWAY" signs. Then.. as I was doing some shopping I stumbled upon these bags.. and I must say.. YAY, they work!!  These baggies remind me more of th...

Plastic grocery bags are fully recyclable and can be used in a variety of new products.. BUT (and it's a big but) many material recovery facilities that receive bags mixed in with the residential recycling will end up discarding them as trash. The equipment that processes the recycling has screens that will become clogged by the plastic bags creating a housekeeping issue (which does not allow the sorting equipment to run effectively). In some systems there have been adjustments made (air vacuum systems intended to suck the bags up) in order to assist in keeping these bags from being a potential problem but they aren't fail safe. To get the most out of plastic bag recycling place them in collection units setup to specifically recover them. Like all recycling .. the cleaner and more segregated you keep the material the more potential it has to be successfully recycled. Most grocery stores have displays/bins setup in the entrance. If your location fails to have these bins ...

My daughter is a hoarder. Okay, she is 3 and thankfully doesn't really have the power to turn her room in to the latest episode of "Hoarders" but I swear given the opportunity she just might. It's an ongoing joke in our house which often leaves me wondering where her desire to acquire and keep everything comes from. On a monetary note (and environmental I guess), thankfully her stuff "obsession" is usually not on purchased goods but most frequently things provided by Mother Nature herself. Wooly bears, flowers, stones, sea shells, ladybugs, worms and snakes; all treasures we've been begged to make room for. I admire her unblemished love of nature around her and  her shrill scream of delight when she sees a butterfly flutter in arms reach. It has been a tough balance between her adoration for the items and the need to keep them safe and free in their true habitat. We have had talks explaining that despite her love for the living things that if she...

We have an entire pinterest board dedicated to #thisisworthsaving. It's all about the natural beauty all around us. We often ignore the amazing sunset, beautiful flowers, or breathtaking wildlife because we are so busy with our lists. I get it, I have many lists (heck, I even have lists for my lists). The problem is, the "important" things that we are tasked with doing each day couldn't be completed (or even matter at all) without all the amazing things that we are taking for granted. We need to realize that one day dedicated to our planet and keeping it green is a start but until we recognize the need to do that daily we are so far from where we need to be. Strive to make everyday Earth Day and encourage other around you to do the same, our futures depend on it.

This is a rough copy of our latest creation. We love it and think it states the exact message that we often try to get across. Every person can make a huge impact! #recycle

So I know that I've mentioned it before but I'm not perfect. I try.. but at times I fail. I've done some things in our home to help encourage recycling and limit our garbage as much as possible. I've set goals for our family (of four) to have one bag of garbage per week. To some that still seems excessive and maybe others it seems impossible (I'm hoping for that because then I look good.. wink, wink). Sometimes we meet that goal and I proudly strut my stuff as I drop my one (in my mind) itty bitty bag of garbage at the drop off center. I also like to pretend to struggle with my many recycling bags (just to show how much our house recycles). It's great that we try to limit our waste but even based on one bag per week from every household we make A LOT of garbage. Many times for me things as a big picture can become a bit overwhelming and situations can seem impossible to correct. I think for my mind it's easiest if I break down big problems into smaller iss...

New Year resolutions often leave us reflecting and making new goals (ie: lose 15 pounds, save more, spend less). Real execution of our resolutions often takes self discipline and dedication and some resolutions are a lot easier to keep then others.All of your personal goals (for family & future) will mean nothing without a healthy, thriving planet (we only have one). Now is the time to make a few (start small) commitments to living a greener, healthier lifestyle. I have a few suggestions of where to start or maybe a few areas to branch into if you have already started (yay you). 1. Say so long to the disposable lifestyle. If you use it once and throw it away .. try eliminating it from your day to day routine. Items like paper towels, plastic snack and sandwich bags,plastic shopping bags, toilet paper (a joke,unfortunately at this time I have no suggestions for eliminating TP). If you are certain that you will recycle the items and you know that where you take recyclables is a...

Whether this week or in a few days to come .. wishing all little ones and big ones alike a great start to a new school year! Keep it green! 

I recently read a blog post (which CRI shared on Facebook) about the "secret" confessions of someone who tries to be green but struggles with not so eco moments. The blog really spoke to me. I make a large effort to keep it green. I do really well most times but there are still areas that I could use some real improvement. I have a paper towel addiction. I've tried to opt for sponges and reusable towels but nothing has quite done the trick for me as well as paper towels (especially in a pinch with many'o spills with small children). Reusable towels created more laundry and I could never get them to look clean again after cleaning up something like grape juice or strawberries. I'd pull them out in front of company and be convinced that they were judging us as someone who "forgot" to do the wash. I feel guilt as I pull a towel off the roll - the good news is that when you compost.. it's not so bad (yes, now I'm justifying). The nice thing about...

  We have the ability to make everyday Earth Day. Celebrate our Earth today.  

A little lady thinking green. I know I'm not alone here, I've heard plenty of people saying the same thing this year. I am so ready for spring!The snow and ice melted, the birds starting singing, little bulbs started blooming and then.. it snowed ,ice (re)formed, and the heating oil is still pouring through our burner like coins in a slot machine. I think the biggest hurtle is the mental aspect of things. Had mother nature not let us taste the warmth we wouldn't be craving it quite as badly right now, but we did.. and we want more! This correlates with my last post talking about how to get employees to participate in the recycling efforts of a company. In most instances once staff and management "taste" the benefits of recycling or see the impact one company can have in our environment it's tough not to crave more. It becomes easy, almost second nature, to look for more ways to save or more things to pull out of trash. It is always harder to retrain a...

Don't eat the yellow snow! I just read an article in Waste and Recycling News about a ski resort in Arizona using sewage effluent as their primary water source to make snow. I am obviously all about recycling, reusing, compost, natural fertilization (I guess) and skiing. I'm just not sure that I want to take a big spill on this mountain, especially the kind of spill that involves snow going everywhere (inclusive of your mouth). When the resort first fired up it's new "recycled water" machines the snow came out yellow. The representative from the resort stated the source of the yellow snow was really from some residual rust in the pipes and not the recycled water. I just wanted to throw a blanket warning out there .. no matter where you are.. no matter what you are doing.. don't eat the yellow snow!