Internet Friday

Do you do it?  I used to recycle soda cans and cardboard boxes, but not much else.  It was so much easier to just toss everything in the trash can and not think about whether each item was recyclable or not.  I began to realize how much trash I was producing and just mindlessly throwing away into the dumpster - I suddenly understood how important it truly is to "Reduce. Reuse. Recycle"... it may sound completely cliche, but I really do think that recycling every item that you can is very important to the health of this beautiful planet that we have the privilege of existing on.  Recycling is a mindset, a lifestyle, a very good thing for the Earth and a simple action that can help sustain our future on the Earth.  It's interesting to note that a lot of counties in the U.S. have expanded their list of what items can be recycled.  For instance, in the past few years, Monroe county (where I live) has expanded recycling of plastic items from only those labeled #1 & #2, to those labeled #1 all the way up to #7.  I found the nifty little chart below on www.greenblizzard.com which shows how plastics are classified:

www.greenblizzard.com

There are some neat items you can purchase online that are made from recycled plastics.  For instance, you can find a Micro Polar Fleece Blanket, made from 100% recycled PET materials (PET plastics are labeled with a #1 on the recycling chart).  There is also a company that makes birdhouses out of recycled plastic water bottles.  I believe that most water bottles are also made from PET type plastic.

All you have to do is take some time to search the Internet - there are so many products that you can find made from recycled materials, it's actually pretty amazing.  You can find fabric, towels, even things like a duffle bag made from an inner tube:

www.originrecycledgoods.com

So all I'm saying is try to do your part.  Recycle plastics, glass, tin, cardboard and whatever else you can to keep garbage and waste out of landfills and out of our oceans.  Whether we want to think about it or not, there is garbage in the oceans, threatening the wildlife.  And that's just a part of the big picture...the landfills can be dangerous to the health of those living nearby, possibly cause health and medical problems.  There are many other concerns that are constantly being raised about the size of our landfills and what they are doing to the Earth, so I think what the situation ultimately comes down to is that we should be striving to keep our planet as clean and healthy as we can - as they say, it takes one person to start a revolution, so let's save those trees, that beautiful ocean, and clean up our planet!