Today, I looked into a ditch that runs along the side of a country road and thought of you. *cricket* Um...what I mean is, it led me to wonder this about your journey:
Do you pick up trash, too, or what?
Do you ever just have one of those days where you are so discouraged that you just leave the bottle and continue walking?
How long can a can be in a ditch before it's not recyclable?
Okay...thanks for letting me sound off. BTW, I've got this blog now for environmental issues and have left my lj (noitalever) for personal stuff only.
Danielle, I'm flattered, in a weird way, that seeing trash makes you think of me. :-)
Usually, I ignore non-recyclable trash. There's just too much of it, and I choose to focus on items that can be recycled. I do pick up non-recyclable trash if I notice it wedged at the entrance to a storm drain, but that's about it. I applaud people who pick up all trash but am not likely ever to join their ranks.
Although I aspire to pick up all recyclables and reusables, sometimes I don't bother. On Tuesday of this week, for example, I didn't pick up a single, solitary item, even though I saw several plastic bags. The weather was nasty and I just didn't want to deal with anything more than plodding on towards my destination. There are also countless days when I pick up some items then ignore others. For example, since the weather turned cold and I started wearing thick gloves each day, I haven't picked up any rubber bands, and when the weather is warmer, I don't pick up cans that had sugary beverages in them because I hate dealing with the ants that are often inside.
I'm not sure about the recyclability of rusty steel cans, but I believe aluminum cans are recyclable indefinitely as long as they're rinsed. What I do is put the plug in the bathroom sink and save the water that flows into the sink when I wash my hands. Then, when there's enough water, I dump the cans and bottles I've found in the sink and rinse them. I use an old toothbrush to scrub dirt off any that are especially dirty. Occasionally, a bottle or bag is so filthy and/or mangled that I just throw it in the trash.
I'm basically satisfied with the amount of trash (most of it recyclable) that I pick up, but feel I should be doing a lot more to green my life in other areas. I just took a look at your environmental blog, and will be reading that carefully for ideas I can implement in my own life. What I've read so far is great.
Do you ever notice bottles, cans and plastic bags by the side of a hiking trail or city sidewalk? I see them almost every day, and often pick them up and take them home for recycling or reuse. Intrigued by the seasonal patterns of what gets thrown out, I started keeping a log of the recyclables I collected. This blog consists primarily of daily tallies of the items I've picked up. Occasionally, I'll also write about other environmental issues, like my attempts to cut down on my consumption of electricity.
2 comments:
Today, I looked into a ditch that runs along the side of a country road and thought of you. *cricket* Um...what I mean is, it led me to wonder this about your journey:
Do you pick up trash, too, or what?
Do you ever just have one of those days where you are so discouraged that you just leave the bottle and continue walking?
How long can a can be in a ditch before it's not recyclable?
Okay...thanks for letting me sound off. BTW, I've got this blog now for environmental issues and have left my lj (noitalever) for personal stuff only.
Danielle, I'm flattered, in a weird way, that seeing trash makes you think of me. :-)
Usually, I ignore non-recyclable trash. There's just too much of it, and I choose to focus on items that can be recycled. I do pick up non-recyclable trash if I notice it wedged at the entrance to a storm drain, but that's about it. I applaud people who pick up all trash but am not likely ever to join their ranks.
Although I aspire to pick up all recyclables and reusables, sometimes I don't bother. On Tuesday of this week, for example, I didn't pick up a single, solitary item, even though I saw several plastic bags. The weather was nasty and I just didn't want to deal with anything more than plodding on towards my destination. There are also countless days when I pick up some items then ignore others. For example, since the weather turned cold and I started wearing thick gloves each day, I haven't picked up any rubber bands, and when the weather is warmer, I don't pick up cans that had sugary beverages in them because I hate dealing with the ants that are often inside.
I'm not sure about the recyclability of rusty steel cans, but I believe aluminum cans are recyclable indefinitely as long as they're rinsed. What I do is put the plug in the bathroom sink and save the water that flows into the sink when I wash my hands. Then, when there's enough water, I dump the cans and bottles I've found in the sink and rinse them. I use an old toothbrush to scrub dirt off any that are especially dirty. Occasionally, a bottle or bag is so filthy and/or mangled that I just throw it in the trash.
I'm basically satisfied with the amount of trash (most of it recyclable) that I pick up, but feel I should be doing a lot more to green my life in other areas. I just took a look at your environmental blog, and will be reading that carefully for ideas I can implement in my own life. What I've read so far is great.
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