Out of the old comes the new . . . some of the products that are made from recycled material

Having worked in the printing industry for many years, I was very familiar with recycled paper. When I left the industry in 2004, the highest percentage of recycled fiber content in paper was around 60-70%. And even papers that are not considered recycled fiber have some small portion of recycled pulp. It's interesting but I think it's more interesting to find out what else is made from all those products that we recycle. There are so many items that we recycle, it's hard to imagine just what gets made from all that stuff.

Well, let's take a look. Tires, for years these have been a big problem. You can't throw them out. You can't recycle them with other items, they have to go to a special location. Someplace that will accept them and dispose of them properly. Plus you have to pay to leave your tire. And goodness only knows you don't want to be around them if they catch on fire.

So here's what I found out. I knew that tires could be used to make landscape materials because I bought these things that went around trees to help keep weeds down. They were brown in colour, very heavy, maybe about 1" thick and sort of made to look like a weave of some sort. They were effective until the tree trunks got too big. But anyway, apparently, trash cans can be made from recycled tires; door mats (see photo at right), low-noise pavement and how about this... recycled sails and bicycle tires are made into bags. Yes, bags. Visit Treehugger.com and read how Teamwork Bags is done.

My french linguistics prof likes to collect sayings in English, that while they make sense in one regard are not grammatically correct. He had an environmentally friendly shopping bag that claimed "I used to be a pop bottle". I wasn't surprised by the saying, just that they made a fiber that looks like cloth from plastic.

Plastic pop bottles are really interesting. I visited enotes.com and saw an item about Fortrel EcoSpun, a new fiber made from recycled plastic pop bottles. I guess that's what was used to make that shopping bag. The page also has a list of other items that are made from the different types of plastic. It's pretty cool, really.

Apparently, glass has been recycled for years, melting it down, making new bottles etc. But it's also used to make the glass squares for tile, decorations -- it can be made to look recycled or like new material.

So many things can be done with these products that we discard. For an interesting take on creativity, visit Popgloss. They have numerous photos of very creative ways of using materials, such as crocheted grocery bag shoes (left) or necklaces made with recycled bottles. All kinds of interesting items. Granted these are not regular recycled products but it does show what can be done if the desire is there.

The list is probably endless as to the new products created by the old discarded products. Just keep on recycling or better yet, try not to use products that create so much waste. Remember to Reuse whenever possible!

Why do I call this the "Green Rule"?

I don't know how many of today's generation are familiar with the song "School Days", but it mentions the three Rs as part of the Golden Rule. Since it pertained to school, it was Reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic. This was the standard for learning or so it seemed at the time. Many years have passed and as I mentioned in my previous post, we have because a society that does not think twice about discarding items. We therefore needed a new rule...The Green Rule. The 3Rs of recycling.

While discussing this situation with my husband, I asked what has changed so much from when we were kids. The obvious changes which weren't discussed include the proliferation of fast food restaurants. I was in high school when the MacDonalds on Huron Line opened. It was take out only -- no place to sit and eat. From that point in the early 1970s, it was one fast food restaurant after the other. Today, it is unusual to be at home for all of your meals in one week. Yet when we were younger that was the way it was. Mom cooked all the time, baked desserts -- basically she did it all. It doesn't seem to happen that way in this day and age. There is too much to do and convenience takes precedence over everything else. Unfortunately, when there is convenience, there is waste.

Now, as current generations see the error of the ways of the last few decades, it becomes increasingly obvious that things need to change. As organizations and people rally together to improve the state of our earth (caused by many years of disregard) -- the new catch word has become GREEN. The implication is that green is good. Anything that you do for the environment that is good will be considered green. Kind of reminds you of those veggies that you didn't want eat, you remember the green ones, spinach, broccoli or brussel sprouts -- they are good for you but many kids didn't like the thought of eating something green. Sometimes we have to do things we don't like because it's for the greater good.

Recycling was born. Their slogan Reduce, Reuse and Recycle is common sense but how can it be applied to such hectic lives. Before the past few decades, reducing waste did not appear as necessary as it seems to be today. People definitely reused things in the past. There was little waste with food and once something had outgrown its usefulness with one family it often was passed on to another family -- remember the term hand-me-downs. When something was finally discarded, it was because it was broken and could not be fixed not just because it needed to be replaced. Don't get me wrong, many people still practice the basics of these principles but many others don't consider it when they get their garbage together.

Perhaps this careless disregard came from the prosperity that was realized after the second world war. I recently saw an article that had been published about 4 or 5 years ago by the Canadian government honouring the veterans of previous wars. It was a short article and it was about how people recycled during the war. This was done out of necessity but none the less, they did it. Why can't we do the same? The thing is we can. We have been and we will endeavour to continue. Things are improving. More and more items are becoming recyclable and new uses are being found for their products. The new horizon does indeed look green; but only if everyone cooperates and does their part. It is not impossible. It is attainable.

My next post will include specifics about the products that are currently being recycled. There are new additions to the list of items and it continues to grow. I will include items recently included in the last edition of the EWSWA newsletter. 'Til then, happy recycling!

The 3Rs

The most important item concerning our future is Recycling. Over the last several decades, society has become more and more wasteful. Everything is disposable. In many instances, the attitude is -- if we don't need it anymore, we throw it away. Landfills have become full; areas to locate landfills are becoming difficult to obtain because of the not in my backyard attitude.

Whether we like it or not, we need to become more conscientious about what we do with our waste. Recycling programs have become prominent and are continuously making advancements in recycling new materials. Individuals need to become more familiar with the 3Rs. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

This blog is my way of helping a new generation develop good recycling habits and also a way to help those of previous generations change their ways. After all, the acts of one affect everybody.

Future posts will include information about items that are recyclable today. Links to local organizations and government organizations devoted to recycling will be provided and helpful hints will be given to assist in preparing items for recycling at home.

The logo above is one commonly used by the Essex Windsor Solid Waste Authority.