My "Save the Earth" scheme just turned me into a packrat
By Aoi Hana
@swirlz (3136)
Philippines
February 1, 2012 1:42pm CST
I eat a lot of fast food these past months, well because they're easily accessible, especially for someone who doesn't have a kitchen in her living quarters. But, the containers from take-out (plastic/paper cans) I always keep to use as containers for pens, keys, coins, knick knacks, etc. because I don't have the money to actually buy good, presentable containers for them. I figured it's also a way to make amends for buying a lot of takeout which requires containers. Help save the world at the same time.
Well, after a few months, my room just looked like a garbage can. 
I'm turning into a packrat. I hoard everything. I can't decide if I should throw everything out or not just yet. 
I will eventually, you know. I'm not keeping these forever.
I guess being environmentally conscious also has it's drawbacks.
Has any of your "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" schemes backfired on you?
I'm turning into a packrat. I hoard everything. I can't decide if I should throw everything out or not just yet. I will eventually, you know. I'm not keeping these forever.
I guess being environmentally conscious also has it's drawbacks.
Has any of your "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" schemes backfired on you?2 people like this
4 responses
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
1 Feb 12
i guess you are right to some degree but as for plastic and paper, we recycle everything. we are only allowed to throw out one bag of garbage per week and as much recycling or green waste (vegetable peelings, etc that would go in a compost bin) per week.
1 person likes this
@swirlz (3136)
• Philippines
2 Feb 12
Nice. You have great garbage disposal system at your area. Here, people put out their trash every other night then the trash boys go through them first to find what they can sell at junk shops. Garbage trucks pick up what's left at dawn. I don't know where they go from their. Probably at landfills where more people/children go through them.
We had a compost bin back home. We have a yard there, compared here to this metropolitan. But then again, no garbage trucks has ever passed by our community.
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
1 Feb 12
hi swirlz do toss that stuff as really its not all that
sanitary even if you are using the containers for miscellaneous
junk. Besides if you get the hoarding syndrome you could find
yourself without a path to your front door.seriously presentable
containers do not cost that much. Look in places like stores selling desk supplies like office Depot as they have some great
sales. don't get the hoarding syndrome as it makes ones place
look really tacky, I do keep some plastic sacks on hand for times when I need one but not many. With me it was the paper bag crap to reduce plastic in the landfill dumps; after one disastrous spill
of hot coffee falling out of the paper sacks bottom onto my
arm. I quit this crap. Paper sacks just do not do it for lots of produce and heavy cans and packages, Plastic does not tear but
paper does. Burn scars on my arm convinced me that I can just recycle the plastic sacks over and over and keep them out of the landfill ha ha.
1 person likes this
@swirlz (3136)
• Philippines
2 Feb 12
That's what I also noticed about paper bags. When they get wet they're not reliable anymore. When I go out to buy food I make sure to bring an eco bag with me because the food might spill and could burn me. But doesn't plastic get dirty over time? I only reuse plastic bags once, then throw them out.
I'll definitely throw all these out. I'm currently jobless. But I might be finding a new job soon since exams are done. Or I would go home. Either way I don't this junk anymore.
Thanks for your response.
@secretbear (19448)
• Philippines
9 Feb 12
Hi swirlz!
I guess in your town, banning of plastics has not been enacted by your city government. Here in our town, fast food chains are prohibited to use plastics. But plastic cans for soft drinks are allowed since soft drink is a wet good.
We also keep plastic cups from fast food chains but they go to the waste bin after a few uses because it's too soft and easily gets crumpled.
Anyway, to answer your question, yes. My recycling has backfired on me, too. I use a lot of paper in my work and school and when I'm finished with them, I just don't throw them away because I figured I can still use them for other purposes. One time I did a major clean-up of my room, I collected too many scratch papers. It turns out, the rate of my using papers is faster than the rate I reuse them, so it piles up. I had to throw a lot of them away because it's eating up too much space. ^^
