"You want this..."

​          So the daughter comes in, she's been cleaning up, clearing out, and says, "You want this...?"
          THIS is an empty box, on the small side...... perfect for shipping in, complete with a bit of bubbly wrap.
          Well, of course I want it. Around here we recycle... and reuse if we can. Recycling is not just a fad... not to me. At one of our favorite shows we do, they put out bins for recycling. It's nice to not have to throw everything into the trash bin, aka... landfill. I like to think I'm good about it. I save what I can when I can. I regularly clean and sort my plastic, glass and metals as well as all kinds of paper items. There's even a corner in the garage for overflow so the house doesn't look like the recycle yard on a busy day. LOL

​          Sometimes I feel a bit like a hoarder with some of the stuff I save to just reuse, not recycle. Spice bottles.... great for powdering a body with some nicely scented homemade powders, or simply bulk purchased spices (this is where the reduce comes in). Glass bottles from sauces can be used for oil blends like rosemary and garlic olive oil or polishing grits in the workshop. Plastic to go containers for storing leftovers in the fridge...  or storing and beads, tumbled rocks...  or sending leftovers home with guests. You can start seeds in cans, plastic or paper.  Say you're packing things to ship for the grandkid, leftover newspaper is great, clean plastic bags from the grocery store are great for stuffing in two a little nooks and crannies of the boxes so that things don't shift. Never throw bubble wrap away, it's great for wrapping our unique jewelry in before shipping out to that unique somebody.

          An important part of recycling is the reducing. By choosing to reduce the number of boxed, bagged, and bottled items we purchase we can cut down on the amount of recycling needed. Granted, that isn't always easy, we have to eat and purchase shampoo, but finding ways to keep from buying more than is needed is helpful. I recently purchased a large bottle of powdered garlic, we'll use it as we like it... and cooking. The reason for the larger bottle was so that I can later refill it with bulk bagged herbs while using another smaller rescued spice bottle to make it more manageable by being filled by the larger bottle. I blend stuff all the time. Liquid soaps, oils and butters, scents and herbs so almost all those small ones get kept for storing them. Once in awhile I actually have to fill the glass or plastic bin from the storage boxes in the bottom of my pantry to offset this accumulation but it never goes in the 'TRASH'.

          At least, not on my watch... LOL

​When all else fails, I recycle. It's not just the packaging that I buy things in either. I recycle my veggie trash by putting it in a pile of dirt out back, the compost heap. I put in waste and get great planting dirt in return. It takes time and work but it's worth it. You don't have to have a fancy-schmancy bin, though they are nice, you just need a spot you can let pile up and decay. You can even do it right in the garden bed, Google it, you can. We have our regular trash service and I have to pay for it, for now, but it's mostly wasted money if you ask me. We used to throw out bags and bags on a weekly basis. Large bags of waste. Now we are likely to take a small one out every couple of days.
          In my business, I am very careful what I choose to recycle. Boxes, paper and bubble wrap are the main things I save to reuse, so don't be surprised when you see a stray bit of tape in an odd spot on your paper or bubble wrap. I package well but I also recycle....
          Do you?

​A little- helps... A lot- makes a difference.
Links for further info...
https://www.recyclingcenters.org/    ....Find a Recycling Center
https://www.recyclingcenters.org/Top_50_Things_To_Recycle_and_Reuse.php    ....Top 50 things to Recycle & Reuse
http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/Why_Should_We_Recycle.php​     ....Why we should Recycle