Reduce, reuse and recycle as much as we can

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Reciclaje_Latas.jpg

"We live in a disposable society. It’s easier to throw things out than to fix them. We even give it a name – we call it recycling." - Neil LaBute.


Here in my country, there are very few governmental or institutional actions in favor of recycling and waste management in this sense. The waste goes all together, it is not separated by type of material, so recycling depends on the individual's will.

Waste recycling

There are some private organizations here that, from time to time, organize collection days for recyclable materials. They usually take place one weekend a month. They collect glass, cardboard, plastic, Tetrapak, and some other materials. So one of the things I do is to keep some waste. Especially the plastic containers to take them when there are these days for recycling.

And speaking of organizations aiming for recycling initiatives. A few days ago, I did a post about a mural in Caracas made with plastic lids. Thanks to that post, I discovered that the organization behind it, which has been working for years on recycling initiatives, has a project to refurbish spaces in public schools with few resources. Their idea is to beautify the spaces by making murals or incorporating decorative elements on the walls, using plastic lids and other recycled materials such as CDs. So they are asking for donations of both. It seems the opportunity to get out of a pile of unused CDs I have that I didn't want to throw away with the everyday garbage. And now, they could be reused for a good cause.

Tapas_OkoMural.jpgClose-up of the lids on the Okomural

Recycling at home

Ever since my son was little, I've recycled the stationery he needed to do his homework. I recycle cardboard, tissue paper, cellophane paper, foamy sheets, and even pieces of wrapping paper. Even for a while, when Venezuela was going through the worst years of the materials shortage crisis, they started making cereal boxes out of recycled cardboard, and I used to keep the dismantled boxes since the cardboard was perfect for the crafts my son was asked to do at school.

Another thing I have always recycled is notebooks. Many times my son didn't use all the pages from one year to the next, and what I used to do was to take off the used pages and reuse the notebooks the following school year.

Now that my son is about to graduate from school, it's time to fill a box with all that material to donate.

Reciclaje_Materiales.jpg

I try to reuse glass and plastic jars. I usually prefer to buy things that come in glass jars. And I use them to store jams, pickles, and homemade creams. And I use the plastic ones to store things, like screws, nuts or hooks. And for the plastic bottles, I use some of them in my balcony garden. And lately, my son has come up with the idea of planting some decorative plants in cans (photo top of post).

Frascos_Reciclados.jpg

The clothes we don't wear anymore, we usually donate them. And if they are very worn out, the old flannels and socks, I use them to polish shoes and clean the wooden furniture.

My mum, who has always been good at handicrafts, makes things out of scraps of fabric. Like this little purse, she gave me and made with a piece of upholstery fabric.

Cartera_Reciclada.jpg

If we look around us, as Lizelle told me, we will have a lot of things that are recycled. But it is also important that we reduce consumption. I don't consider myself an excessive consumerist, but for some time now, I have started to question myself every time I buy something if I really need it. Because the key is to apply the 3 Rs, Reduce, reuse and recycle, not just one.

This is my out-of-competition post for the Silver Bloggers community #BOM, this month about Recycling.

Remember you still have some hours to join as the deadline is Monday, June, 13 at midnight UTC. You can check instructions and prizes at Blog of the Month - New Theme for 13 June 2022.

Thanks for reading!

All images and writing are my own unless otherwise stated.

© CoquiCoin


June 12, 2022



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Thank you very much! Happy week ahead :)

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You're welcome @coquicoin, it's well deserved! Congrats on being so active on Hive 😊👍🌹

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I agree, if we just look around we would see many things that can still be reuse and recycled. Just like those plastic bottles that we have at home,we made it as flower pot and those clothes of my kids that are now small, I gave it to our neighbor who has still younger children so they could still make use of it.

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Reuse as much as we can and buy with a conscience. How often do we buy something we don't use. The economies of the world are more and more focused on consumption, despite the huge damage we do to the planet.
Thank you for stopping by!

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I still can't do away with plastics. The plastic containers that have been accumulating from different food takeouts are now being used as trash containers. I also use other plastic containers as pots for some plants.

I do remember the notebooks when we were younger. We would recycle those unused pages too :D

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Here plastic is used a lot and is the least recycled, that's why I think it's great to see initiatives like the ones behind the mural. And now the consumption of plastic with the proliferation of delivery services is even higher.
Thanks for sharing the post, Kuboy. Happy week :)

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I agree. When pandemic hit, plastic became less of a concern. It was embraced even more and used more.

You're welcome!

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Here they have never been very conscious about the use of plastics, but now it is even worse. And the only thing we can do is try to buy in places where they use more eco-friendly packaging, and there aren't many of them here.
Have a great evening!

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Same here. Plastic is still the "best" choice to package things.

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That mural is great and I adore your Mum's hand made bag!!!!

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I agree with you sis, we need to do the 3 Rs as much as we can to do our part in protecting mother Earth.
I love your Mom's little purse, it's gorgeous.
!LADY

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That's right, sis. The emphasis on reducing consumption is so important. We consume a lot of unnecessary things.

The purse is so chic, hehe. I love it.
Gracias, amiga! Happy week! 😊🤗

!PIZZA

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You make a wonderful point about reducing, reduce and you don't need to recyle as much Super Eli!
I need to finish mine now and post it!

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Yep, reusing and reducing consumption are so important. No matter how much we recycle, if we continue to rampantly consume things that we don't need, they will continue to be produced. And the harm to the environment will keep growing without control.

Do yours, Super Ed, don't be too JIT hehe ;)

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Awesome blog on Recycling Eli. That mural using bottle tops is just stunning! We have so many ugly walls all over the city and this would be a great project! It's so sad when recycling projects fail as happened with our paper & plastic collection, so now we have to go to the refuse dump where there are different areas for all kinds of recyclable stuff.
I love this phrase of yours:

Because the key is to apply the 3 Rs, Reduce, reuse and recycle, not just one.

It's funny how you say that you now think twice about buying stuff; our Covid lockdown taught me a lesson or two, as we avoided going to the store so I often would look in my pantry and find something I could use to replace whatever was required in cooking for example, and so learned that we can improvise and not just run to the store!
We started shopping online during lockdown, and it really is great, as there's no temptation to pick up unnecessary snacks and so forth!

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Thank you, Lizzie
Here, taking waste for recycling is a real act of will because there is no fixed place to take it to. We have to wait for the municipality to organize collection days and keep an eye out for them. Sometimes so much time passes between collection days that you end up having to throw some things in the normal rubbish bin.

And yes, shopping is an issue. The pandemic helped to change consumption patterns. But above all, here, the crisis that happened before where there was a shortage of everything taught us that much of what we buy we don't need. And to rethink the use we give to many things.

And I agree, shopping online helps. Every time we go to the shop, the temptation to take something just because it caught our eye or provokes us is big. Thank you for stopping by!😊🪴

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(Edited)

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(Edited)

Agree, we need to be responsible for our own action's

Same goes in my country government never take this matter seriously & bring more initiative

But I've seen peoples not being responsible throwing trash, plastic in open area even when dustbin is 5m away

My Mom was always strict in this matter and now i know why she was too strict.

She also donate clothes we don't wear to neighborhood kid's or needy one's.

Kitchen is full of those jars and some plants but in plastic bucket.

BTW I'm lucky and Glad i found you. Good to see some old friends as I'm new here.

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Hi, Samad!
It's so nice to see you here. It's been a while since the last time I posted in Noise or Read
I'm glad you and your mum recycle too.
If you need some help here don't hesitate to let me know. I'll be happy to help you.🤗

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Hey co, yea i was wondering where you've been vanished haha glad you're fine and doing good here. Thanks for being so nice really appreciate & sure I'll ask you if needed help.

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Yes, I've been around here. But as I don't have as much time lately as I used to have, I've had to put my blogs to rest on Read, hehe. I hope you like Hive, and I'll see you around. :)

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The government talks a lot about the 3Rs, but they don't really do anything, they are the first consumers of the planet.

But we are the ones who must take the initiative and move forward, teach our children, take care of the spaces, collaborate at all times to preserve our only spaceship. I love to see how you use your containers to grow plants. And how nice that your mom likes crafts, I salute her.

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That's true, amiga. It is up to us to instill in our children the proper use of resources. Teach them we should try to take care of the environment as much as we can. And to be responsible when it comes to consumption.
Thank you for stopping by! 🤗

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Those plastic containers are also doing good for my seedlings, amiga!

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I'm glad for that, amiga ;) xoxo 🪴

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My mommy also use old ice cream containers to plant vegetables. She says she's going to plant later again.

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I am glad that you and your mom also recycle plastic containers for planting. Anything we can do to take care of the planet is good.
Good night to you 😊🪴

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The more we find we are able to put to second use, or re-instate for another purpose.

Always interesting to see how different regions recycle, old calendar photographs was one I used to pack then cover school books, now those days are long gone....

!LUV

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I remember using the comics that came with the newspaper to line my notebooks and books when I was in high school.
Thanks for stopping by! 😊
!PIZZA

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I love your ingenuity and your sons too. The disposal culture is something that I really dislike but it's becoming so engrained in this most recent generation

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Yep, the new generation has a very ingrained disposal culture.
Here, one manages to reuse things, at one time out of necessity, when there was a shortage of everything when hyperinflation hit us, and now to do a tiny bit to help the planet.
I hope you are having a great time in Spain. :)

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