Recycling Redux

A few days ago, I wrote about wanting to recycle more. A few days after that, Dean and I bought 3 crates, 1 for cans, 1 for paper, and 1 for plastic. So far, the plastic is the getting the fullest, but I'm also stunned with how much paper we get (mostly junk mail).

Today I read about the scourge of plastic bags at Salon in this great article:
Plastic Bags Are killing Us


My favorite idea: Ireland has created a 22c tax on every plastic bag. As a result, use of plastic bags have gone down 90%. Attempts by other countries have frequently been thwarted by grocery lobbyists disguised as conservationists.

It's also interesting to read how people turned to plastic because they thought they were saving trees. In fact, the plastic is a worse option--first because a lot of companies chop down trees to get to the oil that makes plastic, and second because trees are a far more renewable resource than oil is.

I used to get a plastic bag even when all I bought was one tiny little thing. Lately I've tried to not get a plastic bag whenever possible. I have not yet gotten the courage to take a reusable tote bag to the grocery store, but that's probably going to be the next step.

The only recycling center I know of for plastic is in Lawrence, and they don't take much. Only Type 2 HDPE bottles and plastic bags. But the Type 2 HDPE butter tubs aren't taken and none of the Type 4 bags I get in packaging material is acceptable either. It's a bit frustrating.

I also didn't know why the plastic bags at the Wal-Mart have to be put into their own bin, but this article explains why.

Still, progress is happening in this household.