Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: The Final Check-In

This is the last post on reduce-reuse-recycle. I'd love to know how all of you did this year -- what habits stuck and what behaviors you're still trying to change.

I know for me personally: My cyclamen found new pots and doing fine, my gifts went out in tins or with reusable tags; my brother and mother's packages were assembled in the same boxes they sent to me (Dec); we went light on the foil and carried a lot of necessary kitchen supplies to Florida instead of buying what we needed once we were there (Nov); I rehung some old shelves in the garage, and although line-drying the towels didn't work, it's fine for tea towels and kitchen linens (Oct); I cannot remember the last time I nuked a frozen meal, my Sigg water bottles go everywhere, and I'm re-using the same plastic baggie for my daily allotment of Kettle chips (see this post); my wonderful husband has hopped on the Tupperware lunch wagon (Jul) and the hardware cloth did save my pumpkins from a summer suntan; I use the water from the shower-warmup to keep my plants happy and hydrated, and the only items in the house that have corn syrup now are the ones we bought before June 1 -- we've even managed to avoid corn chips and popcorn since then (Jun); although the porch demolition didn't take place for another three months after my May vow, we did indeed recycle the materials the porch was made of -- it's just too bad the person who was supposed to pick up our bushes flaked (thanks, Craigslist!) and they ended up dying within a week after our hasty re-planting (May); I have the water bottles and I do use 'em, although I can always do better (Apr); I haven't had a Lean Cusine since early March, and my little cloches did protect my spinach seedlings -- the only March setback was with those sweaters, which I am still trying to reuse somehow (Mar); I haven't used a Swiffer since February (and unloaded the sweeper at a yard sale) and have been refreshing and revitalizing the soil in my containers all year (Feb); and in an amusing call-back to the January post ... I have not had a single Diet Coke since June 20, and I have not had any caffeine at all since June 23. It is sort of amazing how that changed the amount of litter/recyclables I was generating, so it just goes to show ... you can reduce anywhere.

Also, inspired by you all, I have been using fewer paper towels in cleaning and fewer wet wipes; my sponges and tea towels are getting more use and re-use. I'm a tote-bag-totin' fool, and most of the time, I'm telling the cashier, "I don't need a bag for that [book/gift card/ bottle I can slip in my purse]." I'm planning to keep the R-R-R credo alive and going in 2008.

Now tell me about you: what did you do this year? What stuck? What would you like to try next?

Comments

[Polly]

Oooh, lessee.... I bought recycled wrapping paper (as well as, I kid you not, wrapping paper made from elephant poop--made by The Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company Limited, which gets my vote for Best Company Name Ever) for next Christmas, and I'm saving kraft paper for general wrapping puposes. I also got raffia ribbon, because that is at least biodegradable.

Bags have been a biggie: I ask for no bag if I'm just buying an item or two wherever I go, I started using cloth bags at the grocery store, and I no longer automatically put all my produce in plastic bags but only use the bags if I really need them. Also, in the past I was using grocery bags basically as plastic wrap and throwing them out after one use; now, obviously, there are much fewer grocery bags around, so I use the produce bags (which I used to just throw away) as plastic wrap, and then I rinse them out and use them again. I no longer empty wastebaskets by pulling out the plastic bag I use as a liner and throwing it away bag and all; instead, since you don't have to bag trash here, I just dump the contents into the trash bin and leave the bag in place. Finally, I am recycling the produce bags now, whereas I used to throw those away and just recycle the grocery bags--although it should be noted that overall, I have far fewer bags to recycle than I did.

What else? I started saving old glass condiment jars for storing herbs, and I also buy herbs in bulk now.

Those were all things directly inspired by this blog. (I already compost, recycle, buy organic, use CF bulbs, line dry, use cloth pads, etc.) I also switched to scrubber dish sponges made with loofah instead of plastic (they actually hold up quite well, which was a pleasant surprise) so that I can compost them--that wasn't directly a result of the posts on this blog, but I don't think I would have been putting that kind of thought into how I could reduce my waste stream without them.

[Steph]

I've really appreciated and enjoyed your R-R-R posts over the year. I've switched to reusable bags at the stores, and we've started having organic fruits and veg delivered (which uses gas, but no bags? and is local, mostly!).

All the best in 2008!

[KatieM]

I focused mostly on the "reduce" part of RRR this year.
My best change was switching to cloth diapers for the baby It has saved us quite a bit of money as well as reducing our trash by two stinky nasty bags each week. Not to mention my baby looks super cute in them which is a nice bonus!
I've also cut back on paper towel usage by using rags for most cleaning. I reduced the amount of meat we eat by having at least two vegetarian meals each week. And I've made some progress against the plastic baggie monster. Unfortunately, I lost every reusable snack container I tried within a week, but now I am starting to get in the habit of washing and reusing the baggies so that is a start.
I want to do more this year. Hoping to potty train the boy which will save water. I want to use more natural and homemade cleaners. I need to get more reusable grocery bags. I have a few that we use when we walk to the store but I'd like to start using them for the big shopping trips too.
Happy New Year!

[Carolyn]

To recycle sweaters, check out "felting". There are some great instructions at (get ready) marthastewart.com. How to make mittens, a hat, a blanket out of old wool sweaters. Also has instructions on how to make a very handy reusable market bag out of a tee shirt.

One more thing. . . be careful reusing any plastic bottles, bags or containers as they may degrade (into your food or drink) after one washing, unless they are specifically made for reuse.

[Shotrock]

Like others, my local guvmint makes me recycle everything except, well, organic waste pretty much. So I'm already down to two trash bags of garbage per month. Thanks, local guvmint!

My big RRR accomplishment this year was that I got two reusable bags for grocery shopping. It's at the point where finding a normal-size plastic bag in my house when I actually need one is difficult.

Not sure if this counts as RRR but .... for 2008, my one food/diet resolution is to cut corn syrup out of my life as much as possible. Not difficult, but that shit is in the unlikeliest stuff (see: not in Tostitos salsa, but the second-listed ingredient in my whole wheat bread. WTF?). I'm now officially one of those obsessive label-reading grocery shoppers that I always thought were weird.

[Jessica]

I appreciate your doing this challenge, Lisa. I think I've changed my thinking and behavior quite a bit. For instance, I often use reusable bags at the grocery store, and our househould paper-towel consumption has dropped by about 50%. Those are both direct results of reading your R-R-R posts and everyone else's comments.