Have people forgotten?

The other day I was thinking...does anyone really remember what this symbol above means?  I can guarantee you that if you asked a group of 100, well over half would say "it means recycle!" Actually, I'd bet 80% said recycle...

Wrong.

In actuality, it stands for the "Waste Hierarchy," and as a hierarchy, it contains an order of importance.  That order of importance is noted by the three arrows - Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle.  You see, America has a problem (among a million others); Americans like to simply throw money at a problem to solve it.  Many people are extremely lazy, but manage to pull in quite a bit of money working at their jobs.  They can't be bothered by actually taking some initiative and working, though - that's what work is for silly!  So, most people have twisted the symbol above into just meaning Recycle.  By doing this, they are eliminated the more important waste management strategies, Reduce and Reuse.

Ask most elementary-age students what they think of when they hear the word Recycle, and they'll likely answer "collecting cans and taking them to the can recycle bins" or "collecting paper and putting it in the paper recycle bins," or maybe even "collecting plastic bottles and putting them in the plastic recycle bins."  See the problem?  We've taught the younger generations that the answer to America's wasteful tendencies is to pay someone else to process it into something else.  I don't think it's necessary to tell you this, because it's pretty well known, but those recycling plants are not working for free - it costs more to recycle than it does to just trash it.

So how do we solve it?  By reinstating the 3 R's - not a "recycling" program.  Reducing our use of products is the most sure-fire way.  The next way, most often overlooked, is Reusing, and that's my "specialty" of sorts.  We can look around and reuse so much stuff that is being thrown away.  (Before I proceed, let me point out that I am FAR from what you would call a "hippy enviro-nut.")  These things are just too easy.  In the last week, I picked up a ton of cardboard being thrown out.  I ripped all the metal staples out, removed the tape, and laid down this cardboard in the garden to break down for next year.  I also picked up a ton of manure, which was sitting in a pile, smelling like crazy, and running off into who knows where.  It will be composted on top of the cardboard, with hay on top.  It sounds crazy, but I promise you it doesn't smell at all.  Then last night, I picked up a large plastic "house" type thing my friend was trashing.  It'll be a perfect compost bin.  And it looks snazzy too :D

So remember, the next time you're driving around and see 1,000 bags of leaves on the curb, stop and grab a few.  If you see a large barrel being trashed, maybe you could use it for a rain barrel...heck it doesn't even have to relate to gardening.  You can make millions of things out of barrels, scrap wood, etc.

So, I leave you with this.  The real one.