Tag Archive for garbage

They’ve Got it Made!

“They’ve got it made!”  We’ve all said this as we watch people doing their jobs.  We’re convinced they’re overpaid for what they do. Are they? Teachers have short days and long vacations (when do they do lesson plans and grade papers?).  Garbage men ride around all day, doing nothing but picking up trash (what health hazards do they face?).  Cops sit around eating donuts and are never there when you need them (except when they are).  Priests get to hear juicy confessions (how interesting can a story be on the 500th telling?).

Next time you hear yourself saying, “They’ve got it made,” assign yourself the task of finding out about their job: salary and benefits; required education and training, both original and ongoing; hours and duties expected from those hours; health and safety issues the job poses; job security and working conditions.  The Bible says that even Jesus called on a variety of workers, from fisherman to tax collector to tent-maker.  Seems like there’s a lesson there, that we must respect all work and value the worker.  After all, this is a pretty big vineyard we labor in.

About that Garbage Disposal…

Use the garbage disposal less. Between faucets washing scraps down the drain while they’re being ground up and the water used to process sewage in treatment plants, some 500,000 gallons of water are wasted daily.  Choose and cook foods which produce little waste, be creative with leftovers, and turn what remains into compost to nourish your plants without a trip to the nursery for plant food.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is leaf.gif

[For more easy, money-saving, Eco-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/ view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. Or download a free copy from your favorite e-tailer. For a FREE paperback copy, email [email protected]. Details at My Free Books.]

What is this Recycle Garbage?

I don’t know about you, but I’m confused about what I should toss into the recycle bin.  Sure, aluminum drink cans and beverage bottles are easy–everyone knows that. But the rest of it?

I used to go by the “recycle” triangle. Then I learned that numbers 3-7 can not be recycled. (So why do they have that triangle?!)  I learned, too, that boxes that have food residue in them (like the bottoms of pizza boxes) can NOT be recycled. And my frustration continues.

Anyway, I found this video very helpful.  It gives me some clear guidelines. Now I’m more comfortable in my recycling.  I hope it helps you, too.

THAT’S Reyclable?!

Some things around the house you think are not recyclable (R) or compostable (C) really are, e.g., human and animal hair (R, C), dryer lint (C), cotton balls and Q-tips with cardboard handles (C).  Before tossing something that just might be recyclable into the garbage, check it out on  www.earth911.com.

 

Leaf 6

[For more easy, money-saving, earth-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/view/7000 or your favorite e-book seller and download to your computer or e-book device. Totally free, with no strings attached.]

That’s Garbage!

Use the garbage disposal less often. Between faucets washing scraps down the drain and huge amounts of water used at the sewage treatment plant, 500,000 gallons of water are wasted daily.  Choose and cook foods which produce little waste, be creative with leftovers, and turn what remains into compost  to nourish your plants without a trip to the nursery for plant food.

Leaf 6

[For more easy, money-saving, earth-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/view/7000 or your favorite e-book seller and download to your computer or e-book device. Totally free, with no strings attached.]

New Rock Accidentally Made by Man

On the shores of Hawaii, scientists found a brand new rock-type, one that man has made.  It’s multi-colored, has a variety of textures, is eroded into a round shape, and is usually 2” to 8” in size.  Break down its name—plastiglomerate—and you’ll guess at what it’s made of.  Yes, it’s partly plastic.  It forms when our garbage plastic melts, then hardens inside the pores of a rock.

How does our discarded plastic get melted?  Because the area where the hybrid rock was discovered is remote, campers keep fires going for cooking and heat for the period in which they camp there.  Often they think they’re doing a good thing by burning their garbage, much of which contains plastic. The melted plastic seeps into the ground and into rocks.

Makes me wonder how else we’re changing Nature.

 

Plastiglomerate

Over-Medicating the Earth

Left-over prescription medicines are a big problem.  We can’t flush them down the toilet because they’ll pollute our water. Tossing them into the garbage means they’ll end up in the landfill, where birds and animals can get to them and be harmed.  Instead, we can donate them to San Jose Flying Doctors (279-8445).  Also, we can go to http://earth911.com/recycling or www.teleosis.org/gpp-program.php to recycle them.  Some pharmacies will take them, too, if you ask. Otherwise, we must learn how to safely dispose of them ourselves.

 Leaf 6

[For more easy, money-saving, Eco-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/ view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. Or download a free copy from your favorite e-tailer.]