Disposable, not here!!!

[Ontario Chick]

My mother's absolutely favorite words, we can't afford to buy cheap clothing/ or cheap anything else for that matter.
When growing up I was taught to understand different materials and how to take care of them, one problem is that now it's very difficult to find good quality clothes at whatever price.
I buy only what I actually need and wear it until it's ready for rags and even the "poor people" wouldn't want it (Sound of music)
I have a Classic cut cashmere coat, that I bought in 1985, still looks good, only had to move buttons as apparently I have somewhat expanded.
Pretty sure I couldn't find that quality now.
The disposable society should have a compulsory outing to the local dump, and viewing of the dumps in the countries where we "export" our garbage.
There was an older farming couple down the road from us, passed away few years back, their garbage put out on the garbage pick up day consisted of a grocery paper bag only about half full, rolled up and tied with a baling twine, I aspire to that.

[Killerbunny]

Now this isn't exactly on topic but does relate to the green movement. There was a segment on the news that the Recycling Depot near Kingston has to landfill approximately 5% because it isn't clean? Apparently we are now supposed to scrub out our recycling with soap and hot water! Does this seem off to anyone else. We don't have many cans and such but I am sure not spending my hydro$ on this.

[windwalkingwolf]

Most recycling programs are an absolute joke, and send much more (in some cases ALL) to the dump than they would have you believe.
Washing cans, etc., is to keep wildlife, especially bears, out of dumps and drop sites. It doesn't work, but people feel they're doing something helpful to the environment.

[Ontario Chick]

Now this isn't exactly on topic but does relate to the green movement. There was a segment on the news that the Recycling Depot near Kingston has to landfill approximately 5% because it isn't clean? Apparently we are now supposed to scrub out our recycling with soap and hot water! Does this seem off to anyone else. We don't have many cans and such but I am sure not spending my hydro$ on this.

Somebody completely missed the point of recycling is not only to save the dump space, but to protect the environment.
Heating water and adding soup suds isn't really very environmentally friendly.
On the other hand, who knows what people throw in the recycling bins?

[Brebis]

I wash the cans and bottles at the end of doing the dishes, doesn’t take any more energy and sure does make the recycling box smell better until it gets picked up!

I remember in the ‘70s I took environmental science and one of our projects was to go to all the local stores in our area and survey them on their stocks of glass vs plastic aluminum pop bottles. The Ontario government was working on giving the pop companies permission to increase the numbers of plastic and aluminium bottles vs. returnable glass bottles. Needless to say the pop companies were pushing for greater access but many of us were trying to keep them from flooding the market with these disposables. Well fast forward 40 years and we know what the results were! If I only knew then the environmental cost this had I would have tried to “shout” louder to prevent it but even then one class of 17 yr old high school students would have a hard time stopping the pop giants! Maybe if we had the social media outlets we have now it would have made a difference.

[labradors]

The only thing we can do to really make a difference is not to buy stuff in fancy plastic containers. I hate to see washing detergents in those thick plastic containers - and I hate to pay for water too. I still search out the powdered kind in a box. What happened to "refills" for those things anyway?

Kitty litter buckets are really strong and solid, make great nesting boxes and "trugs" for the garden, yet they end up at the dump (for people like me to pick up on rare occasions!)

Egg boxes. Who came up with those stooped plastic things that are so difficult to open? what is wrong with cardboard?

Linda

[the chickenvilla]

When we grow up (my brothers and I) my mother would send us shopping to the butcher shop with containers and to the bakery with a bag - so there was no garbage and the butcher saved on paper/ plastic and time. A lot of people in town were doing that.
and than one day the government decided that it was unhealthy and not safe when people bring there own bags / containers
(maybe some of the politicians had stocks in the plastic industrie ?)

[Killerbunny]

And eggs in a bag!

[SusanH]

I still have socks and blankets with my name sewn on or written in indelible laundry marker from when I went to summer camp in 1965 or so...all ready for the nursing home....

[labradors]

Good thinking SusanH - if your name didn't change {LOL}.

Linda