Recycling For The Planet
Today, I'm jumping in here solo because my mainstay, @derekfreeman, is unavailable. Please forgive me if I haven't replied to everyone, but I promise I will. I just need to find your posts!!!
In my home, we recycle or reuse everything we can. We try to purchase biodegradable items if possible. I like to find ways of re-purposing things instead of tossing them out. I'm sure nowadays, many people do the same. How much more plastic and garbage can our planet hold?!
One of the things I refuse to throw out is the big woven plastic bags that bird seed comes in. They hold 20 lbs. or more. They have no recycling information on them. They are big and bulky bags but it seems to me they could be made into something else. I've thought about umbrellas, shopping bags, tarps... Does anyone have any ideas? I'd love to hear them!
I have a queen size set of silky mauve sheets that are a poor fit on our bed, so I am going to make myself a summer outfit with it. Move over, Covet Fashion! I like to sew.
Derek and I have often talked about "what if things in our daily lives suddenly change irretrievably?" For instance, a world-wide plague, or a super, devastating disaster? What if we get left with just a small group of people and we need to survive? I can imagine us holding onto every little thing and storing it all carefully in a separate building so that we could could use it again to cobble together something we need. Save every little nail and screw, little piece of paper and string, every rag and sock with holes... We have so much merchandise at our disposal at present, and do we dispose!!! We throw everything away and get something else. Then we throw that away! We may not always have that way of life.
I am not a hoarder. But I do propose that we think more carefully about just throwing things out; about buying "stuff" we may not need at all to replace it, then throwing that out. We trash the planet. I've seen it so many times.
This is all food for thought and discussion. It's on my mind a lot.
Until I started homesteading, I never saved anything, now everything I see, i imagine a use for it. Not that I use every little thing but I sure have found those bags good for scarecrows, Too many cats (lol jk), Clothes that I am re-homing, crop covers, even potatoes one year (remember that?), Storing feed bags, weed control, and burning trash. I also use the burlap ones for garden kneeling and drying herbs.
Hey, thanks! Good ideas!
I am a 4th generation packrat. I save anything I think might be reused. And usually, it does get reused, even 10 or 20 yrs down the road. Mostly I do this because it's cheaper. I can't afford to be buying things. Building our chicken coop is an example. Most of it was leftovers from previous projects.
Wow! That's excellent, @goldenoakfarm!