I don’t really think recycling is working well. I’m not basing this on empirical data, although I have read some articles online that suggest my point of view. Rather, it’s a gut feeling that there are too many items of plastic that we consumers use every day and which stock our landfills regardless of individual recycling efforts.
So I’m mounting a campaign in my personal life to refuse (No pun intended.) everyday disposable things.
For instance, what is the problem with drinking a glass of water in a restaurant from the glass itself? Or if one is phobic, what’s wrong with a paper straw? It usually lasts as long as it needs to.
The same with K-cups. With a one-use mentality, I suspect they are among the greatest contributors to local landfills. So whatever happened to making a whole pot of coffee or using a machine that dispenses one cup at a time of your favorite grind if you can’t drink eight offerings?
Water bottles are another wasteful example. As are what used to be called “doggie bags” but are now Styrofoam containers with three compartments. And don’t forget the plastic bags supermarkets dispense with nonchalance, when for years paper bags were the standard.
I realize the companies that make such plastic ware have a vested interest in the status quo. Still I want to divest myself of anything that wasn’t needed as a plastic commodity when I was growing up. I really don’t care about the plastic companies’ interest as much as I care about our planet.
Leave a Reply