Plastic, Plastic, and more PLASTIC!!!

[sattie]

I'm a big recycler, so all the cans, containers, papers and what not go in the recycle bin.

I started a compost pile, so most raw food wastes go in there.

Now what I am finding that I am left with is plastic. Plastic bags, plastic wrapping, is any of it recyclable? I notice on some bags it has a recycle mark on it, does that mean I can take to the grocery store and recycle them in those bins? I realize the wrapping/bags that have food in them may have to be disposed of. When shopping for produce, I don't even use the bags unless it is something like green beans or something like that.

Oh, the other thing I find is foam. Can anything be done with that?

I just want to do what I can to minimize my "footprint" in the world. I welcome your ideas and knowledge!

 

[Andy M.]

Sattie, you should contact the company or government department that manages your recycling and ask them. Where I live, we are required to recycle and they take just about everything.

 

[sparrowgrass]

Walmart has recycling for their bags--or at least they have a big box marked with the recycling symbol. They may just take them out back and burn them.

I bought reuseable bags but cannot remember to take them in with me.

My trash is all plastic, too. I "compost" via the chickens and dogs, hardly ever buy a can or jar of anything, but that plastic is everywhere.

 

[GotGarlic]

I've been using canvas tote bags for groceries and other shopping lately ... most of the time, when I remember ... which I'm gettin better at

 

[Katie H]

Wal-Mart does recycle the plastic bags, sparrow. I toured our area Wal-Mart a couple of years ago for a column I was writing. It was amazing how many tons of plastic bags they recycle annually...just our little store. I do regularly drop my bundle of plastic bags in their recycling box.

We don't have recycling here for glass, plastic or paper, so I do my best to do what I can on my own.

I save a lot of my glass jars to store homemade chicken/beef stock in the freezer. These free up my regular canning jars for "canning."

I, too, use cloth bags for purchases. Been doing that for more than 25 years.

The newspapers get used as fire starters in our wood stove in "heating" season. They are also used as liners in our litter boxes and as mulch in my garden outside.

Every August or so, I start saving the boxes cereals, crackers, etc. come in. Those are used in the wood stove, too.

I need to find something to do with the few plastic things we throw out.

 

[VeraBlue]

Like you,l rarely use the plastic bags available in the supermarket for produce. If it's green beans, I'll use the bag, but for anything else, even if it's 6 lemons, I'll just place them on the belt.
I don't care for the foam packaging, either. I don't want to pick a handful of grapes that are already packaged in plastic and styrofoam. Same with cherries. I want to touch them and smell them. And, I want to choose the amount I want, not how many they want to dole out or dispose of. I've been known to open those packages to check the product and then place the contents (in the amount I really want) into brown paper lunch sacks.

The butcher shoppe I frequent uses butcher paper. The fish store I shop at uses paper or cardboard containers.

Don't even get me started on excess packaging.... I recall the days when you bought a cake, and cut the size of the slice you desired. Now, the same cake is available in three different boxes, all in different cuts and sizes, all with inordinate amounts of packaging. I used to buy Cheerios in the yellow box when my kids were small. I poured out what they could eat, right onto the high chair table top. If we were going out, I used a tupperware container. Now, cheerios comes in the box, in a bag, in pouches and even little 'carry me along' containers. Ridiculous.

Remember thermoses?? Those things you'd fill with a beverage of your choice if you were going to be somewhere you'd require a beverage? After you drank it, you brought it back home and washed it for future use. Now we've got beverages in bottles, cans, plastic containers, pouches, boxes and bags.

Anyone here own a clothes line.... and actually use it???

Sorry for the distractions...but these are the things that just, well, you know...

 

[Katie H]

Anyone here own a clothes line.... and actually use it???

Yes, every week. My dryer gets used for only a few minutes every two weeks or so. One of the things that always bothered me was emptying the lint filter. What IS lint really? It's little bits of your clothes/laundry that you throw away every time you empty the filter.

 

[sattie]

I have the canvass bags, but even with that, there is more plastic than I would have ever realized. I only get the Sunday paper, but there is a bag with that. There is the saranwrap style stuff they use to wrap some veggies in... I just never realized how much plastic there was until I have pretty much eliminated most of my waste through recycling and composting.

I was wondering how much of that plastic can you take to the grocery stores that do recycle it.

 

[CeliacFamilyCook]

We are fortunate to have a recycling center near by that takes plastic bottles. Other plastics we put out on our curb once a week and they're picked up. Plastic grocery and produce bags can be recycled at one of the grocery stores I shop at every week. I actually use Chicco Bags and I absolutely love them. They fold up small and I can keep them in my purse so I never forget them. I always forgot my large canvas bags. I'm planning to get some reusable sacks for produce and bulk items.

I can't post links yet, but if you check out reusable bags dot com they have a few options available.

 

[mikki]

I have a clothes line, use it in the summer months. Wish I could use it all year, there is nothing better then the smell of lined dried clothing.

 

[Inferno]

We recycle pop bottles and stuff. For some reason, milk cartons, even if they have a recycle label, here, they don't take them. Plastic bags go in the garbage for us since we have too many. For shopping, we use green bags. Burning plastics isn't the best of ideas since the gases are toxic, such as burning polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

 

[expatgirl]

If you have solid cloud valances and want to make them "pouffy" stuff with plastic grocery bags-----if on the the other hand you have more sheer valances then stuff with dry cleaning bags. Great for stuffing your Halloween scarecrows, too....for you gardeners great for protecting your shoes----just insert your foot and wrap around and tie onto your upper ankle..........for you new moms and dads-----perfect disposable diaper wraps.......and for you cat lovers.......hold up to light.......check for holes and dispose of your cat poo and tie tightly

 

[YT2095]

Oh, the other thing I find is foam. Can anything be done with that?

I just want to do what I can to minimize my "footprint" in the world. I welcome your ideas and knowledge!

if it`s large clean pieces then shove it up in the attic!
if it`s small pieces then fill these bags with it, and then tie them up and put Those up in the attic.

it`ll not only "get rid of" them it`s also assist in keeping more heat in your house for longer as it`s Great insulation! and thus you save on your Fuel costs/Footprint

same goes for Bubble wrap.

 

[DawnT]

VeraBlue, I have a clothsline that gets used spring - fall. In the winter I use a dryer rack over the heat vent.