Waukegan Public Library - recycling

Recycling Pets

Rose C — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:42:44 +0000

When you think about recycling you usually think first about aluminum soda cans, newspapers, glass bottles; that kind of stuff. But then I got to thinking, hey, maybe this could be extended even farther. Let me give you an example. This past winter, we had to put down one of our dogs. She was around 12 years old, a Rottweiler mix named Molly. The most gentlest dog you could ever find. Molly had a mass growing in her stomach and hip dysplasia. One day she fell and couldn’t get up any more. Long story short, Molly is no longer with us. When it came time to think about getting another dog, we did a lot of research and found a breed that we thought would be compatible to our needs and with the dog still part of the family, and then went to a rescue place in Joliet. We found a great dog that was rescued from a pound in Alabama. So now Gracie the Australian Cattle Dog (who is somewhere between 2 and 3 years old) is now a new member of our household. Isn’t that recycling too?

Reminding Family to Recycle

Rose C — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:05:26 +0000

My son, who lives in Los Angeles, visited us for Easter. Now I foolishly assumed that everyone from California was really into recycling and I’m sure many are. I found myself periodically going into our trash and pulling out the plastic, glass and aluminum bottles he routinely threw into it with nary a thought about recycling. When we visit him in California, he is pretty good about separating his trash from his recycling but when he travels (which is often) he also apparently goes on a recycle holiday. I guess it’s time for one of those father son talks, no, not that talk, we had that one many years ago. This one needs to be about all of us doing our recycle part, every day, seven days a week, wherever we are. And if he doesn’t get it, he may be 35 years old but he’s not too old to be taken over my knee and spanked!

A Friend Brings Over Trash

Rose C — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:46:37 +0000

In thinking back to all that may have started me on being more “green” conscious at home I would have to say it all started when a friend brought over a recycling bin that he got from trash picking. It is kind of ironic that a receptacle that is used to prevent items going into the trash was in fact in the trash. Before you jump to any conclusions let me say that simply getting a recycling bin was not all it took for me to start recycling. After my friend gave me the recycling bin the bin sat on my porch for over two months unused. One day during that two month period, my friend came over and asked if I had started using the bin and I told him I hadn’t. He asked, why not? I told him, I don’t know what I can recycle. He then proceeded to tell me examples of items that are recyclable. Now with some knowledge of what I could recycle I still did not begin recycling. It is hard to explain why I was hesitant to do something that is truly beneficial for the planet. Perhaps, I thought it would be too much of a hassle having to use two different receptacles for my trash, or maybe I event felt a little foolish about recycling. In retrospect I admit those two thoughts as well as others prevented me from recycling. On a second occasion when my friend was visiting he asked if I had started recycling and I still told him I had not. Once again he asked, why not? This time I told him I wasn’t sure if I had curb side recycling and the bin I had was not even issued for Waukegan. His response was, put out the bin and see if it gets taken. His suggestion was a simple one, yet one that changed the way I perceive trash from that day forth. Shortly afterwards I took my friends suggestion and placed the bin on the curb, and to my surprise a recycling truck came by and took everything in the bin. I had started recycling at home, and it turned out to be simpler than I had expected. As I mentioned in my previous blog it is small steps that have added up to make me more “green” conscious, and this was the first small step I took at home.

Wow! I am turning Green...and I like it!

Rose C — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:42:31 +0000

Just a year ago, I never took stock in the idea of “Going Green.” There was nothing in my lifestyle that prompted me to consider “Going Green.” To me the words green, sustainable, and even recycle meant nothing. I was comfortable throwing all my waste in a trash can. I told myself: “I don’t have a recycling bin, so I can’t recycle.” Sometimes I would use a recycling bin at a store I was at, with emphasis on sometimes. Now, the idea of “Going Green” is taking a strong hold of my conscience, and when I look around I think about how much waste can be recycled. When I am at a store I seek out a recycling bin. If the store doesn’t have any recycling bins I wonder: “Why doesn’t this store recycle?” I find myself grimacing when I toss something in a trash can which is a far cry from my mentality a year ago. For me “Going Green” was, is, and will continue to be a process. Like many things in life change starts with a simple step. Whenever, I take on something new I tell myself: “You always got to start somewhere.” Now, in keeping with being “green” I recycle as much as possible and even compost. I wish to use this blog to show the small steps that have added up to make me more “green” conscious.

Vacation Recycling Confession

Rose C — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:46:20 +0000

As many families do, my family recently migrated south for a week in the sun. This time we headed to the pristine beaches of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Just imagine beautiful white sand, gorgeous sunsets, and clear blue water. There are miles and miles of condominium buildings lining the coast. We stayed at an older condominium building (you get what you pay for!) and were dismayed to find out that there was no on-site recycling. When my husband stopped by the building’s management office he was told the following: “While the City of Myrtle Beach does not provide collection services, condominium residents are welcome to use any of the City’s Convenience Centers for their recycling needs”. Unfortunately, the convenience centers were not that convenient and we ended up throwing recyclables in the trash. It made me wonder though, if this was a common practice for multi-family residences back home in Illinois.

When I returned from vacation, I checked out the SWALCO website. According to its website, “People who live in apartments, condominiums or town-homes should contact their property management or association to establish recycling services.” Unfortunately, I think that this is a missed opportunity. Recycling should be easy. Asking residents or vacationers to drive a recycling facility is not always practical.

Anyways, the trip did make me think of how to be environmentally conscious on a vacation. Here are the tips that I came up with:

Carry a reusable water bottle with you. This will cut down on convenience purchases and trash.
Limit meals that involve carry out containers. We grocery shopped once we got to our location and not only saved money but reduced the amount of garbage added to the landfill.
We had the car’s oil changed before we left, hopefully improving the car’s performance on the road. I was actually surprised at how little gas we used.
Anytime you see a recycling center use it. Rest stops seemed to frequently have a place to dispose of recyclables.
Run the air conditioning as needed both in the condo and in the car. We took advantage of the ocean breeze and kept the windows open.
Use towels wisely. We changed out the towels only once.

With a little planning, it is possible to care for the environment even while you are on vacation.