Reduce, Recycle, Reuse

While the initiative is quite annoying, the tree hugger in me refuses to feel annoyed and dismayed everytime they charge for the carrybags in the supermarket. As it is I used to be a frugal user of carrybags. I refuse them and rather stuff the purchases in my handbag or straight away dump them in the car if they are few in number. Sometimes I don't refuse the carry bags
as they are recycled till they no longer can be used.
So anyway, the little steps I have taken recently as a conscious effort to recycle without compromising on my larger objective of decluttering are as follows.

1. We have unearthed carrybags from various niches and corners in the house and dumped at least 8 each in every car that we use. I also keep a folded cloth bag permanently in my handbag and have bundled cloth bags in an accessable nook inside my cupboard.

2. To make them convenient to reuse, I have stapled together all one sided papers, letters, circulars, and made them into booklets for the kids to use for painting etc.

3. A friend was mentioning that before throwing anything away, in her mind she always checks avenues for recycling them. I tend to agree that it is a good thing to do but given that in these times we have limit space, and time to do best out if waste exercises, so I either see how the life of that object can be increased. May be I could give it away if it is in usable condition or the best thing is to convert them into kitchen napkins.

I have converted old soft toys into pillows, by stuffing the inner filling into white pillow cases.

Kids clothes are regularly given away to workers and maids.

I find diaries a collossal waste and inconvenient to use as the lines are too narrow. I normally give them away to maids whose children are studying or simply give them to the kids for their scribbling but frankly I don't prefer this as they are in good condition and should be used for organised work.

I preserve cornflakes or cashew foil for packing kids' tiffin boxes.

Old handbags or watch cases can be used as pouches for keeping medicines or cosmetics or equipment like chargers etc.

Old bedsheets in good condition are best guven away as someone out there would find use for it.

4. Simply put I do not buy toys for the kids. Unless it us a musical one. I wait for them to be gifted so that the basic principle of reducing is taken care of.

5. In my book reviewing attempts I have got hold of many books. My aim is to make as many people read them as possible.
If you want to make your kids understand recycling there is a lovely series of books from macaw books on Earth, pollution, recycling etc. Do look out for it. It is done in an interesting storytelling fashion.

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