No matter who you are or where you are from, we are all residents of this great and wonderful planet, Earth (at least I’m fairly confident everyone reading this is…). Earth is a pretty amazing place filled with unimaginable beauty, but, just like our homes, we need to take care of our planet if we want it to retain its magnificence.
A simple way to start is to recycle. This may sound like the oldest trick in the book, and perhaps that’s because it is. But sometimes the inconvenience of recycling can stop us from doing what we know is right. Waypoint Real Estate Group would like to share some tips that can make recycling a seamless part of your daily routine.
Know before you throw – A lot of cities haven’t upped their recycling game like they should. Many places have unusual restrictions and strict sorting rules. While these rules feel like they were only put in place to make your life harder, they are actually put in place to make recycling possible. What’s more, if you don’t follow these rules the recycling companies could throw all of your recycling in the trash for violating one rule (this would be tragic- you work so hard to recycle!). That said, the first thing to do is look up the recycling rules for your area. If you weren’t given this information when you moved in, then call your city office and they can provide you with the appropriate guidelines, bins or drop off information. If you feel like the restrictions in your area are narrow and limited for today’s recycling technologies, then get some friends together and go talk to the city about expanding the recycle program. A few small voices can really make a big difference. Once you know what you can recycle, print out a cheat sheet and keep it on the wall next to your trash container. Everyone can spare two seconds of reading time for the future of our planet.
Think Small for a Big Impact – How much do you love taking out the trash? Hold on, wait, you don’t? Ah, that’s what I thought. That said, what if you rethought your trash in order to up your recycle game? When visiting Germany (a country with one of the best recycling programs in the world) I was astonished to find the trash can for unrecyclable waste was slightly smaller than the waste bin I keep in my bathroom at home. “How can this be?” I asked. Well, it’s because in Germany people recycle almost everything, so they rarely have to take out the trash. So if you were to downgrade your trash can size and upgrade your recycle bin size, chances are you would recycle more because it would actually be the easier option. So please, be lazy with me and recycle more.
Compartmentalize because you Care – Walking out to the garage to recycle is the best way to make sure it never happens. Luckily the smart people in the trashcan development business have made this an easy fix. Get a separated trashcan. They come in many shapes, sizes and colors and have options for you to separate your paper, glass and plastics, alongside your regular trash. If the distance you have to go to recycle is approximately five inches to the left of your trash can you don’t really have any excuses.
There you have it, three things you can do to make recycling seamless. If you still need more motivation, ask a five year old what they love most about the planet? No matter what the answer, I promise you are going to be able to help protect it by recycling.