My Commitment to Precycling

I read somewhere last week that more and more people are trying to precycle versus recycle. I have always been a strong anti-litter advocate, I drive a pretty fuel-efficient SUV (don't laugh, it gets better gas mileage than most cars on the road), I don't print the banner pages when I print at work, and love the idea of recycling. But I will admit, I could definitely do more in my efforts to "save the environment."

From trusty old Wikipedia:

"Precycling is the practice of reducing waste by attempting to avoid bringing into the home or business since such items which will generate waste.

It includes such practices as buying consumables in bulk to reduce packaging, buying consumables in recyclable packaging over non-recyclable packages, avoiding junk mail, and using electronic media for reading materials, especially throwaway items such as magazines or newspapers."

One of the things I've noticed recently is that I throw away A LOT of plastic water bottles. I buy the 24 case each week and toss each and every bottle right into a recycling recepticle if it's available, but most of the time it goes right into the trash. One day I realized I had about four or five bottles in the trash and I thought that it was pretty wasteful to have all those bottles, when I could just refill one bottle and use that over and over. It's a pretty small step, but I'm committed to it.

I've also done away with getting bags when I buy one or two things from the store. I went to Dollar Tree the other day to buy gift bags. I also picked up some strawberry candies, which I love! I told the cashier not to worry about a bag because I'm gonna rip right into the candy when I get to the car, and I'm using the gift bag for a gift that I also have waiting in the car. Why would I need a bag just to take two items from store to car, and then just throw it away? I did the same thing the previous week in Dollar Tree. I bought some plastic bins in there, along with other random junk. Why get a bag when everything fit so neatly in the storage bin?

So I am making a promise to be more environmentally-minded as I go through my day. I can't change the world alone, but I can do my small part. I am also committing to carrying cloth bags to the store when I go. I have a bad habit of buying the cloth bag, carrying the groceries inside, forgetting the bag in my house, and then not having it the next time I go to the store. SO I end up either repurchasing another bag or just getting the plastic store bags which suck.

If you also are interested in precycling or in eliminating / reducing the number of plastic bags that end up in landfills, consider this 3-piece bag set from Avon for $6.99. Keep it in your car, carry your purchases into your house, and then, this is the key, RETURN IT BACK TO YOUR CAR for the next time you need it.

Good Luck! And remember, TREES ROCK!

Note: The liiv Botanicals Three Piece Bag Set can be ordered at http://youravon.com/makiariley. Use search work "liiv".