Another View
Naughty or Nice? It Depends Upon the Trash Involved
I need to make a confession. For the past two months I have been a little bit naughty and a whole lot trashy.It all started when I began preparations for my move to Tallahassee and has continued as I settle into my new house. I spend hours cutting and pulling and cursing before I throw away the offending culprits. Sometimes those pesky pieces are tossed into the recycle bin, but at other times they must go into the trash container in the garage ready to be hauled off to the landfill.
I am talking about the plastic, cardboard and Styrofoam that packages the products I needed, and with this move I have purchased an entire roomful of hard-to-do-without items.
First the new lawn mower came in a four- by three-foot box, which I broke down and shoved into the recycle container. I emptied the peanut packing material into the trashcan. I ripped the plastic off the wheels and tossed it alongside the other offenders.
Then the drill I bought came in a 1- by 1-foot box, even though the suitcase to house the equipment is half that size. The remaining space between the case and the box was filled with blocks of Styrofoam. Why does a drill need to be so protected, I wondered as I attempted to figure out how to use it. The drill needed more protection from me as I pulled and pushed drill bits into its mouth and then plundered through plastic with the wrong size bit.
It took weeks of filling the recycle bin with cardboard before I finally emptied the garage of its brown contents. I even stored half of the boxes in the attic.
But I think it was the $3 purchase of a plastic clock that really made me feel as if my "tread softly on the planet" philosophy had been abandoned forever. Of course the requisite cardboard box protected the plastic orb, leaving only the face of the clock visible. With one side open, the clock needed to be secured to the box somehow. The solution probably cost more than the clock. A metal screw through the back of the cardboard to the clock made sure that only someone with a new drill and lawn mower would be able to get to the contents inside. For a few moments I considered just hanging the damn thing, box and all, on the wall.
Europe is leading the way in consciousness on package design and companies in the United States are beginning to follow suit, according to a report by the Science Applications International Corporation.
Until recently I never thought much about purchasing something based upon how it came packaged, but I promise I will now that I have contributed a sizable amount of packaging to the landfill.
With the holiday season quickly approaching I can begin to use my newfound consciousness. I can start even before that by noticing how everyday products come packaged. Does shampoo or toothpaste really need to come with an outer box? Can I buy vegetables not wrapped in plastic? Which products use recyclable materials? I can at least look for those options instead of throwing the first and cheapest thing I see into the cart.
Buying larger quantities can also help in reducing our waste. We send a message to manufacturers by what we buy, so if we make a concerted effort to buy items that use less packaging, then slowly we might see improvement.
I justified my purchases by telling myself they were just one-time affairs, but then I remembered I am just one person on this planet in just one household. If we multiple that out …I do not want to consider the piles of trash that picture involves.
It is the little things. This Thanksgiving when my family sits down at the table, they will sit in front of china and silver and cloth napkins. I might have to do a little more washing (using a minimum of water, of course), but there will be fewer bags of garbage in my container.
And I will no longer be naughty. After all I want Santa to come to my house, too. I just hope he uses recycled paper on my presents.
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