Day 10: Garbage Day

A beautiful word or thought that is not accompanied by corresponding acts is like a bright flower that bears no fruit. It would never produce an effect.  -The Buddha

Before I start today’s GIVE I wanted to share a quick story with you about a great GIVE I witnessed today. I was walking with my son down a major street and an elderly gentleman was running towards us. He was yelling for the bus to wait for him. It was so far down the street I knew he wouldn’t get it – but I was wrong. As the gentleman continued running to the bus I saw the bus driver come out of the bus and start running towards him. The elderly gentleman had left something behind on the bus at the last stop and the bus driver was running back to try and find him. The gentleman got his papers back and the bus driver did his GIVE of the day. We all have a  bad story  to share about a public transit experience and I wanted to share with you a story of a bus driver that did a great thing for someone else. Nice GIVE bus driver!

Now on with my GIVE of the day.

Every time I take my garbage out I always think about how I could reduce my waste just a little more. When we lived in Toronto, they had just started a new recycling program and it was amazing. They took you paper, plastic, garden waste and kitchen waste. We all noticed a drop in our regular garbage by at least 60%.

Sorry Vancouver, but when we moved out here I noticed things were not as quite as efficient. Kitchen waste is not picked which in Toronto included not only fruit and vegetables but diapers, tissue, paper towel, dog poop, meat scraps, the list goes on. I do my best to deal with as many of the garbage issues as I can every day.

Compost – All fruit, vegetable scarps, used coffee filters, tea bags, and egg shells.

Garden Waste – We do get this picked up all year round.

Paper / Plastic / Cans / Bottles – Picked up weekly.

Wine / Beer / Alcohol – As noted in a previous post we take them back to the store for a refund which we will now donate yearly

Biodegradable Diapers: A big one when you have little ones. Many available brands now.

I have one other item that I still have to figure out how to recycle. Every time I put one in the garbage I get a nagging sense that I should be doing something else with it. Soya and Rice milk cartons. We aren’t milk drinkers in our family due to allergies or intolerances, but the city recycling program does not take these cartons. The guilt factor I have every time I throw a carton into my biodegradable garbage bag makes me cringe a bit. I’m I the only person that thinks like this?

I am trying to find little things I can do to help save our planet. I think of the planet as this living creature like a pet. I have such a hard time thinking of all the toxic waste we pump into it. It would be like feeding my dog plastic wrap for breakfast. I’m not a hard core left or right wing environmentalist, but I have been part of the problem and I have to be part of the solution. For my kids sake. What will it be like for them in 30 years – or less.

GIVE 10 / DAY 10

Mission: Find a place I can recycle my milk cartons.

Step 1:

Yeh Google. In 30 seconds it’s done. Encorp shines through again this week. Encorp has partnered with the Dairy Council to make sure these containers are recycled.

“the containers will be aggregated for shipment to established recyclers, who in turn willconvert them into new (non-food) plastic and paper products. The milk jugs will beturned into new containers like bleach bottles, motor oil containers and plastic buckets,while paperboard cartons will become cardboard boxes and tissue paper.” A quote from the Encorp site.
Step 2:
Before taking the garbage out today remove my milk cartons from the garbage can. Give them a quick rinse, remove the caps and crush them.
Step 3:
Set up a separate garbage bin with a label for Milk cartons only.
(This way I can teach my son to put the cartons in the bin and we can go to the depot when the bin is full and recycle together. As well my husband will then get on the program and instantly put them in the correct bin. We all need to be trained!)

GIVE for the day done! Happy planet today. 5 less milk cartons into a landfill.
Time Commitment: 15 minutes  Cost: 0