Recyclables found Wednesday, October 8, 2008

• 2 plastic water bottles (1 Deer Park Eco-Shape, 1 Deer Park regular)
• 3 aluminum cans (2 Budweiser, 1 Heineken)
• 1 glass bottle (Alice White shiraz)
• 1 brown paper bag (from around one of the Budweiser cans)

The shiraz bottle is 12 inches tall and contained 750 mL of wine. It always surprises me to find such a large bottle lying by the side of the sidewalk. Do people really walk around sipping from such huge bottles? Do bottles like this get passed around among groups of drinkers walking along the sidewalk together? I just don't get it. There are more convenient ways to imbibe.

Recyclables found Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Today's recyclables:

• 1 aluminum can (Budweiser)
• 2 plastic bottles (1 Gatorade, 1 Deer Park Eco-Shape water)

Recyclables found Monday, October 6, 2008

When I didn't find any recyclables last Friday, I allowed myself to fantasize that my neighbors had ceased being such litterbugs. Today, that bubble burst when I found the following:

• 4 plastic bottles (1 Crystal Geyser water, 1 "Spring!" water, 1 Diet Dr. Pepper, 1 Simply Lemonade)
• 2 aluminum cans (both Heineken)
• 4 glass bottles (2 Smirnoff Ice, 1 Michelob AmberBock Dark Lager, 1 Cognac Salignac)

"Spring!" is an actual brand of spring water, which is confusing because obviously there are many brands of "spring water". The fine print reveals it to be produced by the Coca-Cola Company.

Letter to SanDisk about excessive packaging

As anyone who reads this blog will know by now, I'm an avid recycler. This blog is, after all, about the recyclables I find lying on the ground and take home for recycling.

I also recycle the bottles, cans and paper I use at home. However, my priority is to produce less waste to begin with. One of the ways I avoid waste is to buy only those products that are minimally packaged or entirely free of packaging. Usually, this is pretty easy. For example, a lot of foods are sold in bulk bins at a supermarket near where I work, so I bring my own containers and completely avoid disposable packaging.

Avoiding excessive packaging isn't as easy when it comes to buying memory sticks at the small electronics store near here. I recently looked at some SanDisk memory sticks that would have been great if not for their excessive, unenvironmental packaging. I e-mailed SanDisk a letter about the packaging:

Dear SanDisk representative,

I care about the environment, and for that reason I avoid purchasing products with excessive packaging.

I recently considered buying a SanDisk memory stick, but was disturbed by how much cardboard and plastic packaging surrounded it. I can understand using a little packaging to protect memory sticks from damage or theft, but cannot understand why a memory stick smaller than my thumb was encased in packaging larger than my entire hand. It seems very wasteful.

Additionally, I was disturbed to note that the plastic was PVC, which is associated with damage to the environment during its production and disposal, and which is not recyclable where I live. Although my main concern is the sheer quantity of packaging, I would also like to see a more environmentally friendly material than PVC used in packaging the memory sticks.

SanDisk's web site says that the first objective of its Environmental Management System is the "Prevention of pollution by limiting waste and promoting recycling." I am writing to urge SanDisk to consider this objective when packaging the company's memory sticks, using the least possible amount of packaging and ensuring that only environmentally friendly materials are used.

Yours truly,
Cousin Yellowstone

There's a larger store in a nearby city that sells memory sticks without any packaging, so I may buy a stick there the next time I'm out that way.

Recyclables and reusables found Saturday, October 4, 2008

On Friday, I didn't come across any recyclables. The only item picked up was a single reusable:

• 1 small plastic bag (from a bakery) suitable for use cleaning up after dogs

Today, the recyclables found were:

• 5 plastic water bottles (2 Deer Park, 1 Nestle, 2 with labels removed)

The water bottles were all within about 12 feet of each other. A pedestrian who saw me picking up the first few bottles joined me in picking up the remaining bottles, which was nice.

Today, I also found two reusable items:

• 1 rubber band
• 1 small plastic bag suitable for use cleaning up after dogs

Recyclables and reusables found Thursday, October 2, 2008

Today's recyclables:

• 2 plastic bottles (1 Sprite, 1 Lucerne milk)
• 1 glass bottle (Everfresh orange juice)

Today's reusables:

• 2 twist ties
• 1 small plastic bag suitable for use cleaning up after dogs

I first saw the milk bottle yesterday, but left it where it was because there was still a cup of milk left in it and I hoped its owner would return to claim it. Today, I poured the milk out and took the bottle for recycling.

I've now been writing the Recital for a week, and have noticed a change in how I regard my own trash collecting activities. I used to be relieved when I didn't find many recyclables, thankful not to have to haul lots of extra stuff around with me. Now, however, I compare myself to some of the eco-runners I've read about, and feel like I should be collecting a lot more stuff. I find myself thinking about going to the park where teens drink beer just so I can gather up lots of cans and bottles. I'm resisting that urge, because I think I would soon burn out if I spent any more time than I already do on picking up and cleaning recyclables, but the urge is definitely there.

Recyclables found Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Today's recyclables:

• 2 plastic bottles (1 Nestle water, 1 Perrier water)
• 1 aluminum can (Heineken)
• 4 glass bottles (1 Miller Draft, 1 Heineken, 1 Coors Light, 1 Sutter Home Chardonnay)

I'm thankful, as I have been so many times before, that my household shares a large recycling bin with a dozen other households. It would be mortifying to put all the alcoholic beverage bottles in a personal recycling bin and have the neighbors think that someone at my address is a problem drinker.