By Rebecca Harnik
When asked if they recycle, most people think of aluminum, glass and plastic. However, the concepts of recycling and reusing can be stretched to many other items used everyday in our lives that will help to avoid waste.
Preventing waste from entering our nation’s landfills can help avoid leakage that leaches toxins into our air and water. According to www.zerowasteamerica.org, 82% of surveyed landfills had leaks. Over time the liners in landfills will further decay, creating even more problems with our ecosystem and health.
There are a number of websites that can help citizens take advantage of the vast online networks. www.Craigslist.org is an amazing resource for people looking to buy, sell, or share items that they no longer want. Ranging from bikes to pets; even people looking for carpool buddies, craigslist is an excellent way to get good deals and prevent virtually anything from being cast into the dump. It’s pretty amazing how many things one can find.
Another website that I have recently discovered is freecycle.org. Free things and recycling! What more could you want? As a college student on a reduced budget, this website fascinates me. Anything is game to be posted; you simply must be able to go pick it up. I joined my local network about a week ago, which takes a bit of effort because you need to be confirmed by the local server. The networks are usually smaller than the large city networks on craigslist, but everything is free! You can also post ‘wanted’ items, which is nice.
Some things I saw on my network today that looked intriguing were: a bread maker, a book about elephants, a leather chair and an espresso maker. Paying attention to the offerings of this site is rather addictive, especially since it’s all free. The website boasts about having prevented 300 tons per day of “garbage” from entering the nation’s dumps because of all of the items saved by these exchanges.
Got old clothes to get rid of? There are a plethora of options for reusing clothes and other garments. If you are crafty or talented with a needle and thread, it is always fun to recreate a new pair of pants or use scraps to sew other things. Not that I claim such talents; needles make me nervous, and I have little faith in my skills. Goodwill and the Salvation Army both take donations and the profits benefit people with disadvantages, and adult rehabilitation programs, respectively.
Local vintage shops also frequently take donations, and sometimes even pay for nice clothes. Shopping at many of these places sends money to good uses, encourages environmentally friendly practices, and saves money. Reusing an outfit saves thousands of gallons of water and avoids wasted pesticides, dye, labor, and machine power.
If you do buy new products, buy more durable items that will last longer. Don’t plan to get ‘disposable’ clothes or pay for impractical items you may only wear a few times. Sharing with a friend is a great way to reduce waste—it’s like having twice as many clothes!
On college campuses, sharing is exponentially easier: there are hundreds of other young adults around with similar clothing tastes and accessory needs: mini fridges, teapots, etc. Take advantage of clothing drives or swaps on campus: My campus offers a pay-what-you-please yard sale, whose profits benefit Habitat for Humanity. If you don’t have one, I guarantee a drive or swap will be success on campus.
photos byUnited Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania's photostream
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