I have recycling paper, glass and plastic for some 19 years now. I think it comes, somewhat from my childhood, in that my parents always contributed to the local school paper drive. So, it is only natural and a bit uncomfortable if I find someone or some place not recycling. I also recycle all batteries to the local public library branch. And I also support the local charities by given gentle used clothes and other household items to the Disable American Vets, Goodwill or St. Vincent dePaul.

I can really see the difference at the curb each week in that I put out one trash can every two weeks and my neighors put out 3-4 cans each week!

My husband and I have been recycling since we first got together. In the beginning, I was more enthusiastic about it than he was, but he’s a proponent now too. Sometimes we even put empty drink bottles that we use at his mom and dad’s house in our bag to bring home and recycle them (we haven’t convinced them to recycle yet.)

We don’t have recycle pick up at our house either, so we have to take it into town. We were able to cancel our trash pick up since we recycle and compost so much.

It amazes me that there are still people that need to be convinced to recycle.

I remember when my Granny- she was born in 1886 (yes I typed the year correct) had a compost pile, being mindful of our waste is nothing new, it is being a good steward. Thank goodness I was born during this time when we do not have to use everything we purchase, we can throw things away! How many times have you heard,“turn off the lights when you leave the room” OR “were you born in a barn, close the door when you leave the house?”

Well, I heard it all the time growing up and my family has always recycled- newspaper and plastic containers and I know that my upbringing has made me a responsible global citizen. If everyone does a little we will have a major impact on our environment. I hope that our family’s everyday practices will influence my children and their children.

Recycling is in… and local companies like Ray’s are making it more convenient then ever to be “green”. Local schools and non-profit organizations are always collecting, so if you can’t afford the additional cost of recycling, collect your extra paper in a container and drop it off to help a good cause.

Other things we do at our house:

• Turn off the water faucet while brushing your teeth, ok that sounds crazy, but it is real easy…just turn it back on when you are ready to rinse.
  *Put our computers in sleep mode when not in use.
  *When the weather is cool, we turn off the air and open the windows, this is a perfect time of the year for that!
  *We always set our thermostat below 69 during the winter…I think if you take small steps in reducing the tempature you can get used to even a lower tempature… using less energy will reduce your heating bill….

What a great blog topic, Amanda … and so appropriate for the Associates of ido to respond to … nice job! From a family and at home standpoint, thank God Republic Recycling Company and Lawrence Township have teamed up together to update their rather small red recycling bin (of which they just give you 1) to these humongous 90 something gallon bins with lids to hold ALL of our recycle things in … as Amanda and Suzanne stated, it’s amazing at how MUCH stuff we accumulate and how much can actually be recycled! My kids call me the Penny Pincher at home because I’m always turning off lights …OK, OK sometimes I do it a little prematurely, as they are ususally still in the room using their lights to see their way around. From a work standpoint, I am a print fanatic … so, realizing I don’t always practice what I preach (“Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail” is my message on my e-mail letters) this goes against the grain of saving the planet – for this I am truly sorry! But I have been using the back side of recycled paper to print so I’m trying my best to save a tree. I will pledge to do my best to re-use, recycle and reduce!!

Recycling is something my family and I have been doing for awhile at home. I try to think beyond the typical food and drink containers that can be recyled and include empty shampoo bottles, shredded paper and “mistakes” that come out of the printer, etc. Recyling pick-up isn’t available in our area, so like Amanda, we take them to a nearby drop-off center every few weeks. Something I haven’t paid much attention to is the plastic types, which I need to do!!
Another thing I’ve been doing since working at i.d.o.(because we do this here) is saving pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House.
I also try to keep lights and fans turned off as much as possible when it’s not necessary for them to be running!
As much as possible I try to re-use plastic bags or keep a reusable bag with me in the car to avoid picking up another plastic bag when I’m out shopping for small items.

My husband and I do pay the little extra to have home pick up of our recyclables – it’s well worth it, and as you say, I’m surprised to see how much we have and how little trash we have now. I just wish they’d take more than plastics 1 & 2.
I consider myself fortunate to work for a company (ido) who supports and encourages recycling – my husband’s (who will remain nameless) not so much. I give him the gold star for bringing home all his used juice bottles and microwave lunch containers – it’s a bit gross, but better than putting it in a landfill!!!