Recycle Thwarts Reuse

I have been using reusable cloth bags for several years when I go shopping. I even bought bags for my adult children one year as a Christmas bag filled with their presents. The bags come with me when I take my mother in law to the market. I use them to take things to the office, carry goodies to a party or books to and from the library.

The bags live in my car creating a life style change and a habit. But my diligence has brought about an unexpected downside.

A long time subscriber to the reduce, reuse and recycle philosophy, I reused the grocery plastic bags as trash can liners, doggie doo pick-ups and packing material for shipping boxes. Brown bags were reused to line baking dishes, wrap packages and make book covers. Now I find my resource material has disappeared! I have systematically rid myself of these reusable materials by using recyclable bags.

I suppose this is a good thing and was inevitable. I still believe in the cloth bag, but may have to pay for the privilege. But, that is what a wise grandma will do.

Mother Knows Best!

Go Green! Save the Planet! Global Warming! The warnings are days late and several dollars short. My mother was WAY ahead of the times because she was recycling before Webster made it an official word in the dictionary.

As the oldest of seven children, I can say with all sincerity that my mother taught us not only the value of a dollar but how to stretch the greenback until you could see through it. We learned to wash tin foil, rinse plastic bags, save twist ties and bread bag clips.

 

We saved every empty jar or plastic container. I never knew that Tupperware was an actual brand name. I thought it was a plastic container - any plastic container.

 

Recycling is in my blood. It is my nature and nurture that I find recycling to be not only an art but in these tough economic times, a matter of necessity. We should all make a firm new year resolution to return to the three Rs - reduce, reuse and recycle. BYOB - bring your own bag to the grocery store and reduce your carbon footprint a toe at a time.

 

It is cutting edge these days to be green. My 80 year old mother is green from head to toe and great grandkids are learning to follow in her giant footsteps for humankind and good old Mother Earth, because that is what a wise grandma would do.