DISCLAIMER: This post is meant to inspire change not criticize. Have I drank from a disposable water bottle before? Yes. Am I a perfect no single-use ever consumer? No. Do I spurn automobiles in favor of biking 1.5 hours to work each morning? Heck to the NO. But I do try to be conscious of my family’s consumption and reflect on what it means in the context of being a good steward of God’s creation. And I hope to inspire you to do the same.
SO I have a confession, this is not our recycling pile. I have a clear memory of taking a photo of our stash on recycling drop-off day but cannot find it no matter how hard I look. It probably never even happened, I just imagined it, and so I'm blaming #MomBrain. Our stack is not this pretty and it was about two Rubbermaid tubs full stacked on top of each other, unsorted. There were also random boxes and jugs scattered about that didn’t fit inside the bins. And all from only about 6 weeks of consumption- THAT seems crazy.
While we do NOT have recycling pickup where we live, we ARE lucky enough to live relatively close to a sorting center that takes everything but glass. I try to be fairly diligent about ensuring all recyclables make it to the Tower, however on occasion when I’m being lazy or tired a spare piece of spam mail makes it into the regular bin, in full transparency. So are we 100% sustainable, NO. I don’t recycle everything (impatience) and I can only save so many glass pasta jars to re-purpose in our home (working towards making my own sauce, so that we don’t buy the jars to begin with). But since I’m only a halfway homesteader at my best, I’m just not there yet. I am looking for ways to rehome the jars if anyone has ideas to share.
I would hazard a guess that we fill on average two Rubbermaid tubs a month full of recyclables. Our household has two adults, two babies, and two renters who occasionally recycle. So in a year, this would make around 24 tubs full of recyclable items saved from the landfill. Since we don’t buy a bunch of single-use products IMO (read no water bottles, no single-serve snack packs) and the tower is still as tall as I am every six weeks or so. Since I know single use 'disposable' water bottles, yogurts, applesauce etc are common for many, I would imagine that the average household potential recyclables may be even greater than ours.
I believe that we will be held accountable one way or another for any harm we have imparted on this planet. I along with many others believe that single-use plastics are doing incredible harm to our waterways and greater ecosystems. There are projects underway to make more sustainable packaging options, such as hemp bioplastic, but production is often more expensive and many companies (and countries) are unlikely to make the switch unless their hands are forced. I'm not sure the what the answer is, but I do know that no good can come from burying our heads in the sand and hoping things just work out.
Being conscious of our own consumption may not save the planet on its own, but it just may stem the tide of rising oceans of plastic many communities are battling. I really enjoy beaches and diving, and it breaks my heart to think that humanity may have rendered unreparable damage on our oceans.
I pray that we also have power to do considerable good where we may have harmed in the past. I hope that if modern humanity decides to collectively do better by our home, the land that sustains us, that one day our oceans and our forests will truly thrive again.
Many believe mankind has dominion over the earth, but this shouldn't translate to having complete domination and exploitation of it but sadly, this is what has happened. For now, it is our home, and I believe we need to do a better job of honoring it.
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