Pass it on - practical recycling
By Boingboing
@boiboing (13153)
Northampton, England
January 9, 2019 10:42am CST
My neighbour is a widow. She lost her husband just over 2 years ago and she gets rather nervous about leaving her bungalow unoccupied when she visits friends. So for Christmas I gave her a set of timers that can switch lights on and off and so make it look like there is somebody home.
She told me that she was really happy with them and would go to the shop and get a couple of new lamps. I told her to please not buy anything until I'd have a chance to offer her two small glass table lamps that I was about to take to the recycling shop in the village.
The lamps originally belonged to another neighbour. She was going to throw them away when she moved to a smaller house but my husband got in and grabbed them before they could go in the bin. They then served as our bedside lamps for a few years but we had replaced them with two 'touch lamps'. So now I've passed them on to my other neighbour and they can continue to serve her now that they've done their time with two different homes already.
I hate waste. This week I've given away 6 bags of cat litter that my husband found in the garage (we stopped using trays last summer when our local refuse collection was cut to only once every THREE weeks and almost everything in that big had been cat litter) and tomorrow I'm taking 5 big bags of kitten kibble to the lady who works for the Cats Protection League in the village.
The only thing better than getting rid of things you don't need is when you can find them new homes where they can be useful to somebody else.
6 people like this
7 responses
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
9 Jan 19
Until they were one year old we made them stay indoors at night - so they had to have a tray. They didn't use it a lot but it was still unpleasant. After their birthday we decided they should be allowed to come and go as they please.
My only concern is what Daisy will do when it snows. Last year she refused point blank to go and do her business in the snow.
4 people like this
@responsiveme (22926)
• India
9 Jan 19
I too believe in this. That way we are practically doing our bit instead of only talking about R ,R and R
2 people like this
@responsiveme (22926)
• India
10 Jan 19
@JudyEv we do this but not club wise. For example if there is a big wok in somebody's house to be used only for feasts it is quite common for people to borrow.
2 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (83103)
• United States
9 Jan 19
It always feels good when you can pass on something to someone else. Those lamps have found some good homes.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (83103)
• United States
9 Jan 19
@boiboing I have a box of stuff I'm bringing to the thrift store
1 person likes this
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
11 Jan 19
@Poppylicious We don't use the food waste bin - we just don't throw away food. It helps that we don't eat meat and most of our kitchen waste goes in the compost bins
@Poppylicious (11133)
•
11 Jan 19
@boiboing Oh, we don't have a food waste collection, although veg peelings can go in the brown bin.
1 person likes this
@just4him (317245)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
12 Jan 19
That's true. I'm glad you were able to help your neighbor with new for her lamps.
