Are You Recycling Enough?

Recycling is fun. It also reveals a lot about you. Most of us are good with people or things from which we have something to gain. Recycling, on the other hand, beyond what is required on a statutory basis is very personal.  

When you start recycling, you get the opportunity to see the amount of waste you generate. Waste is created when you shop, when you consume the good and when you dispose-off what you do not need. When you shop, you could have reduced waste by bringing your own bags/boxes; when you consumed the good you could have reduced waste by, well, consuming it fully. Did you know that human beings waste one-third of the food that they generate? I am sure that this extends to other non-food items as well. Finally, before dumping anything into the rubbish bin, you should pause and ask yourself, can I not use it one more time? It could be a cardboard box of any size or a polythene bag or even a plastic wrap. I have started to reuse the small snack-bar cartons for carrying my sandwich, and even the plastic wrap used for packing lunches-don’t be surprised, it is plastic and can be used at least two or three times before it is ready for the trash-can. I must thank some really cool people at my workplace who were reusing plastic ice-cream boxes to carry their lunch. It was an eye-opener for me. I don’t need to bring a fancy lunch box filled with food wrapped in plastic to blend with what is supposedly a normal thing to do. 

We are all different and have our own sensibilities of keeping our mother Earth clean. Some personalities will actively try to be mindful at the shopping, consumption, and the disposing stage; others will make some to no effort. Without judging anyone else, let us try from our end to minimize any waste heading for the landfill.