Save the Forest, Recycle!

Are you recycling yet? It may seem silly,but even these days, we all forget and throw away our cans &bottles every now and then. The most common reason for not recycling is the lack of a good organized system. It is not that hard to get a few big plastic bins and simply chuck cans, plastic bottles, and glass materials into each one. Once a month, take them down to your local recycling center, which can be found in most grocery store parking lotsin towns and cites. Not only does the act of recycling help the enviornment, it can help your wallet as well. Most recycling centers will offer a refund of 5 to 10 cents per item and it can really add up. As a guy I overheard at the local recycling place said "See what a couple month's drinking can get ya? $30.00, baby!" Just one example of the crazy charaters you will meet who also recycle. In my adventures, I have seen gypsy women with children in catsuits, crazy bums, and hippies in homemade clothes. There was even an instance where the line was particularly long one day and a man drove up with a ton of cans, but didn't feel like waiting, so he gave them to us. You'd be surprised how much money you can get. However, the greatest rewards come with knowing that one is helping make the world less trashy.

Another way of recycling is to re-use old materials to create new things. Alter old clothes to make new ones, cut them up and re-sew them. Sure, a toilet paper roll might not seem very useful, but this TV Pixelator Light might make you think twice about the possibilites...Make what you need instead of buying it. Use trash to make art. Make a trashbag dress or a grocery bag dress. Save plastic bags to wash and use again. Use wrapping paper and bows to make art and accessories instead of throwing them away. Start looking at old things in a new way.  All it takes is a little imagination to see one person's trash as your treasure.

Reduce the amount of trash you consume. Avoid overly-packaged items. Forget paper or plastic, just start keeping your cloth bags in the car/bike basket/wagon/whatever when you go shopping. Cut down on the number of paper towels you use, get some cloth napkinsand washcloths. Recycling paper, magazines and newspaper can save the forest, some cities let you leave it out on the curb and will take it for you. Instead of buying a bunch of packs of fruit flavored candy and throwing away the packaging, get some real fruit and bury the remains to grow a tree. You'll be doing your body and the earth a favor.

Remember the old mantra: Reduce, Re-Use, and Recycle!